Kannur: A Panchayat member in Kerala's Peringom Vayakara Panchayat has initiated a unique 'Scrap Challenge' to reconstruct the long-neglected Road in his ward. Ward member Shajeer Iqbal decided to collect scrap materials from houses and institutions in the area, sell them, to collect fund the road's construction. This innovative approach comes after years of inaction by the Panchayat authorities.
The Peringom-Korangad Link Road, the main road in Ward 14 of the Peringom Vayakara Panchayat served as a vital route for residents to reach Peringom town and Peringom Higher Secondary School. Despite being only 441 meters long, the road has been neglected for a long time, leaving it in a deplorable condition.
Following the public protests, Shajeer sought a new method to reconstruct the road after his efforts to secure funds through official channels failed. Shajeer, a Muslim League representative in the LDF-ruled Panchayat, said he approached the Panchayat, block panchayat, and MLA levels for funding but received no support.
He also alleged that the UDF member neglected to allocate funds to his ward. After exhausting all conventional methods, including plans for a sit-in protest, Shajeer came up with the Scrap Challenge as a form of protest and a practical solution to the problem.
Shajeer began collecting scrap and old utensils from homes and selling them to raise money for the road. However, when the funds fell short, he raised an additional seven lakh rupees through public contributions. With this combined effort, the construction of the road has begun.
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