After 31 years, Vattavada to witness another election boycott

After 31 years, the Vattavada grama panchayat near the Munnar hill station in Idukki will witness another election boycott in support of their various demands.

A meeting of tribal heads (Ooru Kootam) of Swamiyaralakudy and Koodallarkudy in two wards of Vattavada panchayat on Sunday decided to boycott the upcoming local body and Assembly elections.

According to tribespeople, Rama Swami from Swamiyaralakudy, Durai Swami from Koodallarkudy, Vel Swami from MeleValsappetty Kudy, Kuppu Swami from Vayalthara Kudy, and Vanaraj from Parasukkadavu Kudy led the meeting and announced the decision.

“The long-term wish of the tribal people is to construct a road from Vattavada to Kanthallur, connecting the five tribal settlements. But authorities had diverted the allotted fund for another road due to the opposition from the Forest department. The department is illegally holding possession of block number 59 of revenue land and blocking the developmental activities for the tribal community,” said the tribal heads.

“Without settling the issues before the elections, the Muthuvan tribe people will not participate in the upcoming local body and Assembly elections. The tribal people will not contest the reservation wards,” said the tribal heads.

‘‘The panchayat’s Swamiyaralakudy and Koodallarkudy wards are home to 330 families. But a road, including basic amenities, is still a distant dream for us,” said a tribal community member.

“Normally, the Ooru Kootam will not announce the boycott of the election. But the tribal people in the area are struggling with the absence of proper road connectivity due to unwanted interventions by the Forest department,” said a tribal member.

In the last week of July, a tribal woman from the remote Valsapettykudy settlement in the Anamudi Shola National Park suffered for hours with no ambulance in sight due to the lack of proper road access. The woman was finally carried to the nearest hospital in Marayur on a bamboo stretcher by over 50 fellow tribespeople, trudging six km through treacherous terrain.

In 1984, the entire village of Vattavada panchayat boycotted the Lok Sabha elections demanding basic amenities. After the boycott, Vattavada witnessed the construction of roads and schools.