Bovikkanam:For the youngsters of Mundakkai, the dream of a proper volleyball court had lingered for years. That dream is finally taking shape, not because of an election victory, but because a defeated candidate has chosen to keep his word.

Under the initiative of M A Aziz, who contested as the LDF candidate from the Muladukkam ward in Muliyar panchayat in the recent local body polls, work has now begun on a volleyball court at Mundakkai. The executive committee of the Plantation Corporation of Kerala (PCK) has approved the construction of a volleyball court on its land opposite the Mundakkai Church. The PCK Board meeting held the previous day ratified an application submitted in this regard by CPI(M) branch secretary R K Rafeek.

The land has been allotted under specific conditions that cashew trees must not be cut down and that the land must be returned upon demand. The PCK has also directed that no other construction should be carried out on the site. Work on the court has already commenced.

For the residents of Mundakkai, a volleyball court has been a long-standing aspiration. For the past decade, volleyball has been played here on a makeshift flat surface, which though lacked dimensions of a proper volleyball court. Since the land belonged to PCK, formal approval had not been forthcoming. A volleyball court was one of the major demands raised by local residents before candidates in the last local body polls. LDF candidate Aziz assured them he would intervene in the matter. Subsequently, Rafeek was entrusted with filing the application.

Although Aziz lost the election, he continued to pursue the matter until the land was finally allotted. With PCK’s approval, volleyball enthusiasts here are now eager to see their dream court take shape.