Exit people's collector Kesavendra Kumar after many a project

KOZHIKODE: Widespread afforestation drive, curb on earth movers (JCBs), restrictions on high-rise buildings, perfect monitoring of tribal development projects are among the projects that will be affected with the exit of Wayanad District Collector Kesavendra Kumar. At a time when many of his projects are midway, it is feared that the district which is facing many developmental challenges, will suffer.

Wayanad Prakrithi Samrakshana Samithy president N Badusha said that Kesavendra Kumar would be remembered for the ban on construction of high-rises in Ecologically Fragile Land (EFL) zones which won both accolades as well as brickbats. He was accessible to all including tribal communities and always attended to the needy sections. “What worries me is the fact that many projects started by him are midway”, he added.

Kesavendra Kumar’s most important decision was to impose restrictions on using earth movers in the district. Interestingly, Kesavendra Kumar even managed to ensure the support of JCB owners of the district. When there were a series of allegations on the tribal welfare projects implemented earlier, he personally monitored the projects and for this he regularly visited the tribal hamlets, some of them in the interiors of the jungle.

Colleagues say he always stood by them. During the elections to the legislature he was there to ensure the safety and comfort of officials. During the elections, he ensured that each new voter of selected booths would get a sapling of an indigenous variety and named the project ‘Orma Maram’.