Our Correspondent
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala’s capital stands shamefully submerged once again — this time even before the monsoon has officially begun. Heart-wrenching scenes from Thampanoor, Palayam, Chala, and East Fort show the city’s core reduced to a filthy, waterlogged disaster zone after just a few hours of pre-monsoon rain. Vehicles are stranded, shops are flooded, residents are wading through muck, and daily life is paralysed. This is not an act of God. This is the direct result of gross irresponsibility by Mayor Rajesh and Chief Minister Satheesan.
Both leaders have failed the people spectacularly. Instead of taking pre-emptive action, they are engaged in a disgraceful blame game, treating the suffering of lakhs of citizens as a political football. Their combined negligence — of the Corporation and the State Government — has turned a preventable annual problem into a recurring nightmare.
Mayor Rajesh bears heavy responsibility for the Corporation’s shocking inaction. Under his leadership, the BJP-controlled Corporation had sufficient time to desilt drains, clear canals, remove encroachments, and strengthen stormwater infrastructure. Yet, the same critical areas continue to drown at the slightest shower. Where were the urgent pre-monsoon drives? Why were vital channels still choked with garbage and silt? Rajesh’s excuses and political justifications are unacceptable. His irresponsible approach has left the commercial heart of the city crippled, inflicting massive losses on traders, commuters, and ordinary residents.
Chief Minister Satheesan and his UDF government are equally irresponsible. The state regime has watched the capital’s vulnerability with disturbing indifference. Despite controlling key departments like Irrigation, Public Works, and Urban Development, it has failed to deliver meaningful long-term solutions. Encroachments on wetlands persist, major drainage projects remain stuck on paper, and coordination with the Corporation is non-existent. When in opposition, these leaders loudly accused others of neglecting the people. Now in power, Satheesan and his government are guilty of the same crime — criminal neglect and buck-passing.
The tragedy is that this suffering is entirely predictable. Year after year, Thampanoor bus station becomes a lake, Palayam market a swamp, Chala a drainage disaster, and East Fort a zone of misery. Successive administrations, including the current BJP Corporation under Rajesh and UDF Government under Satheesan, have ignored expert recommendations and public pleas. Half-hearted photo-op cleanings just before rains and hollow press statements are all they offer. This level of irresponsibility from both the Corporation and the Government is nothing short of betrayal.
Small businesses in the affected areas are losing lakhs in damaged stock. Daily wage earners, autorickshaw drivers, and office-goers are bearing the worst brunt. Schoolchildren risk infections walking through polluted water, while the elderly and sick remain trapped indoors. The economic damage to Kerala’s capital runs into several crores every season. Yet, both Mayor Rajesh and Chief Minister Satheesan remain more focused on scoring political points than fixing the crisis.
The people of Thiruvananthapuram have reached the limit of their patience. They are tired of being treated as mere vote banks while their city sinks every year. Empty promises, blame-shifting between the Corporation and the State Government, and token measures will no longer be tolerated.
It is high time Mayor Rajesh stops issuing statements and starts immediate war-footing action — complete desilting, encroachment removal, and pump house repairs. Chief Minister Satheesan must equally demonstrate accountability by releasing emergency funds, enforcing inter-departmental coordination, and fast-tracking pending urban drainage projects. Anything less confirms their joint irresponsibility.
Thiruvananthapuram deserves leaders who respect public suffering, not those who exploit it for politics. If Mayor Rajesh and Chief Minister Satheesan cannot protect the capital from routine rains, they have forfeited their right to govern. The time for excuses is over. The public demands urgent, visible action — not more drama.