Digital 'Laloor'; Garbage dumping hamlet to India's best

Laloor is a small ward in Thrissur with quotidian happenings and nothing to write home about. However, the place earned the spotlight all across Kerala for the fierce protest from residents over the illegal garbage dumping. The people's agitation lasted for almost three decades starting from the nineties.

Former chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan, singer Yesudas and many other prominent names had expressed solidarity with the protestors and visited them. TK Vasu and K. Venu were the torchbearers of the protest in Laloor. They turned vocal not to coerce the government to bring development but only to raise their right to live in a healthy environment.

Since the time of Sakthan Thampuran, Laloor has been the selected place for dumping garbage collected from Thrissur. Back then, the place was uninhibited and the act continued untrammelled. However, in the later years of development, residential buildings started coming up, and people started to set up abode in this village.

Times changed but the municipality continued dumping garbage which irked many residents and paved the way for a historic protest.

The protest bore fruit after the government decided to clear the garbage from the area while decomposing the rest. With the introduction of Haritha Karma Sena, there were arrangements for the segregation and disposal of organic and inorganic waste.

An indoor stadium at Laloor has now been built on the site where garbage used to be dumped. The residents here have another thing to cheer about. Once known as a rotten yard for garbage dumping, Laloor will soon become the country's first fully digital ward within six months.

Ayyanthole Akshaya Kendra employees are visiting every house in Laloor ward with laptops. They are visiting houses as part of the decision to digitize all documents of citizens, including Aadhaar, PAN, ration card and driving license. There are 1537 houses here. Every resident here will be provided with a QR code. People yet to take Aadhar will receive all assistance to take a new one.

Digital payment training will be provided. Apart from this, an Ayurveda plant will also be planted in the yard of the digital home, which will bear fruit throughout the year. The efforts and leadership of ward councillor PK Shajan turned the catalyst for Laloor to become the first digital ward in India.

State IT Welfare Board Director A.D. Jayan is coordinating the activities. Twenty volunteers are on the mission. Create an account on the government's digital locker website and upload the documents. You can also download the app on your smartphone. Documents will be safe like in a bank locker.

In Kerala, a state prone to unexpected weather changes, this Laloor model is exemplary. In the floods of 2018, many people in rural areas lost their belongings and vital documents. The new model of trying to turn everything digital is the most desirable and the most secure of ways in the new age of technology.