He says, “The building of a big drain from MG Road through Warriam Road and Diwan’s Road to Fine Arts Hall to the Vembanad lake will reduce waterlogging in Ravipuram and Pallimukku areas. The drain from the Monastery Road south end to the north, flowing into Mullassery Canal to the lake, will reduce waterlogging at Karikkamuri area. Contracts have been given for both these works. Another big project for carrying water from Mullassery Canal to Perandoor Canal is also in the plan.

This work will reduce waterlogging in the areas around the bus stand and railway station. Some roads will be raised and tarred as part of this work.

Once the work is over, the waterlogging trouble will be over.” According to the councillor, the division fund was also used for the maintenance of the existing drains and for building some new ones. All these drains were covered with slabs.

Streetlights, mostly sodium vapour lamps were put throughout the division and bylanes were concreted. He claims that all kinds of funds have been used for road tarring here.

Durbar Hall Road, Chittoor Road, Hospital Road, Warriam Road and Sadanam Road were tarred.

He says that ` 4 to ` 5 lakh from the KSUDP fund was utilised for slum development work at Mature kadavu Colony. Here basic infrastructure development work was carried out, drains were built and covered with slabs and public toilets were built.

Krishnakumar says that People’s Plan fund was used to carry out maintenance work at Government Girls High School and SRV School. Besides improvement of basic facilities, pipes were changed and a hall with low-cost roofing was made. A television set was given to Government Girls High School for study purposes. A stage was made at St Joseph’s School, Karithala, with sponsorship from Kochi Refineries. Here noon-meals were made more nutritious with funds from Prof K V Thomas MP and with other sponsors.

A ` 50-lakh housing scheme to better housing at Padyattukulam Colony is slated to be carried out with the general fund.

Residents here agree that waterlogging problems are severe in low-lying areas of the division like the area near South Railway Station. They complain that some of the roads are full of potholes since the rainy season. They hope that the big projects slated to be implemented in the area will be completed on a war-footing, so that things will change for the better.

South will be division no. 62 in the coming elections.