As local body election campaigns gather momentum across Kozhikode district, complaints about partially completed or pending housing projects have resurfaced prominently, with many rural voters voicing their frustrations directly to visiting candidates. Delays in road works and the lack of progress in drinking water projects are also among the major grievances confronting candidates during their door-to-door campaign.
“Most complainants are not concerned about the political or administrative reasons behind the delay. We understand their frustrations, and there is no point in picking arguments with them,” says a United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate from Koyilandy. He notes that incomplete housing schemes for underprivileged families dominated the issues raised by residents.
While Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidates highlight the State government’s achievements under the LIFE Mission, the UDF appears to be capitalising on the agony of those who are still waiting for their promised homes. They point out that even tribal housing projects have remained non-starters in the rural areas of Kozhikode. Though officials cite raw material shortages and temporary delays in fund allocation as the main reasons, it offers little comfort to the affected people.
