As Thiruvananthapuram prepares for upcoming council elections, the city's infrastructure shows significant improvement, but resident associations are intensifying pressure on candidates to tackle persistent civic problems that continue to affect daily life.
Resident Associations Take Center Stage
Thiruvananthapuram boasts more than 1,000-1,500 resident associations that have served as crucial intermediaries between citizens and their elected representatives for nearly three decades. Many of these organizations, established approximately 30 years ago, remain actively involved in driving positive change and development throughout the city.
Political candidates heavily depend on these associations for door-to-door campaigning and to identify localized issues requiring immediate attention. This election season, these groups are leveraging their influence to ensure candidates address long-standing concerns that have plagued various neighborhoods.
Persistent Civic Challenges Demand Attention
Paraniyam Devakumar, patron of Fraternity of Residents Associations (FRAT), which coordinates 1,000 associations, acknowledged the progress made while emphasizing the work remaining. "There has been a lot of improvement. Still, a lot needs to be done, especially on civic issues," Devakumar stated.
He highlighted critical gaps in waste management implementation. "Source segregation has been implemented for plastic and kitchen waste but it is not implemented uniformly across the 101 wards. The same applies to abattoir waste," Devakumar explained. "Though this waste is collected, it is not processed or disposed of well. So, this animal waste often ends up in the streets, leading to an increase in the population of street dogs."
Despite infrastructure upgrades under the Smart City initiative, including tiled inner roads, authorities have neglected proper debris clearance. Water management remains another pressing concern, with supply problems particularly affecting hilly areas of the city.
Urban Planning and Infrastructure Deficiencies
Sumesh Krishnan, a central committee member of Federation of Residents Associations-Coordination of Residents, emphasized that better urban planning has become a central election issue. "We have raised issues on water supply, sewage and flooding of low-lying areas, including in Thampanoor," Krishnan noted.
Stormwater drainage systems continue to pose significant challenges across multiple areas, with resident associations actively pushing for comprehensive solutions. Individual associations are taking direct action, with the Kukkiliya Lane Residents Association in Jagathy—one of the city's oldest resident groups—preparing a formal charter of demands to present to candidates.
As election day approaches, the collective voice of Thiruvananthapuram's resident associations grows stronger, determined to secure concrete commitments from aspiring councilors on resolving the city's most persistent civic problems.
