Now, behold this Kannur model

KANNUR: True, Kannur may have earned notoriety for political killings and bloody battles. But the land of extreme political activity is now trying to tell another story. The story of the collective and determined effort of the people, the administration and the political parties to come out of the gory past. And write a fresh chapter.

The district has of late launched a number of innovative projects touching different facets of society and making a difference to the people’s lives. The success of some of the Kannur model of development projects has prompted other districts and even the state to adopt them.

One flagship project of the district administration is ‘Mission Mangrove’ which has resulted in the documentation of the entire mangrove vegetation in the district and notification of 600 acres of revenue land as mangrove reserve forest, the first of its kind in the state.

Another major project was the ‘Barrier- Free Kannur’ intended to create disabled-friendly constructions in public places. It was later taken up by the social welfare department for state-wide implementation.

Among the schemes replicated in other districts are ‘Sasneham’ to give legal protection to abandoned parents, ‘Amritha Kalasam’ to renovate ponds in the district and ‘Valsalyam’ to prevent child abuse. (Details in box)

The district has proved to be a front-runner by implementing many initiatives in the technology sector, too. Kannur was the only district to launch mobile app for National Games the state hosted last year, which provided updated information on the mega event.

The district also developed apps for election, sand registration and disaster response management. It is the only collectorate having E-Office system. In the tourism sector, the district has launched a number of projects.

“The district administration is taking special interest in the development of the city and collector Mr P Balakiran is very co-operative with us in addressing our issues,” said Kannur Corporation Mayor E.P. Latha of CPM. “He is actively involved in the development of the district along with the people’s representatives,”

Politicians on the other side of the spectrum share her view. “Political issues do dominate when people talk about Kannur,” said DCC president K. Surendran. ‘However, the people here work together when it comes to development projects. The district administration is doing a tremendous job and we have visionary officials to work for the district’s development along with people’s representatives.”

Former BJP district president K. Ranjith is of the opinion that the administration should also focus on issues which directly affect the public. “Our district has made improvement in the tourism sector by launching a good number of projects,” he said. “It has also made use of technology and launched E-Office facility for faster file moving. However, there should also be focus on problems like waste management and land allotments.”

Environmentalists who are generally skeptical about government initiatives also hail the projects like Mission Mangrove and Amritha Kalasam. “Kannur has the lion share of the state’s mangrove vegetation and it is a major task to preserve the rich biodiversity of the mangrove forests,” said Kannur Jilla Paristhithi Samithi secretary Bhaskaran Vellur. “At a time when people are not bothered to preserve our nature, projects like Mission Mangrove is a must for the sustainability of our ecosystems.”

Social worker Farook Irikkur, who is working for the welfare of abandoned parents, said projects like 'Sasneham' are a model for every district. “A large number of parents who are abandoned by their children got justice through it and is an eye-opener for society,” he said.