Kerala Panchayat Leader Travels 30 Km By Cycle To Attend Event
Kerala panchayat leader cycles 30 km after being denied official transport.
A political protest in Kerala drew attention on Monday after Jinoji Edward, a leader of the Communist Party of India (CPI), reportedly cycled nearly 30 kilometres to attend an official function after being denied an official vehicle by the panchayat administration.
Edward reached a government event held at the Fort Kollam Church, which was attended by State Minister Bindu Mishra and Kollam Mayor AK Hafeez, using a bicycle he described as his “official vehicle” in protest. His symbolic act was aimed at highlighting his disagreement with the decision of the panchayat secretary to withhold the official car.
According to Edward, the dispute stemmed from tensions over a tar-mixing unit operating in his ward. He claimed that he and 21 elected representatives had opposed the unit, after which the panchayat issued a stop memo to the company through the administrative office. He suggested that the denial of the vehicle was linked to this ongoing conflict.
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Edward alleged that the panchayat secretary, Flossie Lass, refused to allocate the official vehicle on the grounds that the event in question was not an official programme. He maintained that the decision was retaliatory in nature and connected to his stance on local development and environmental concerns.
After reaching the venue, Edward stated that he had cycled approximately 15 kilometres from Adichanalloor to Kollam, and later returned the same distance, totalling around 30 kilometres of travel. He said the journey was intended to draw public attention to what he described as administrative bias and procedural denial.
The incident has triggered a dispute between the elected representatives of the panchayat and its administrative machinery, highlighting tensions over decision-making authority at the local governance level. Edward later submitted a complaint to State Minister Bindu Krishna, seeking intervention and corrective action in the matter.
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