It was during his first official meeting after assuming charge as a panchayat member in Vilappil, Thiruvananthapuram, that M Aji truly grasped the dire state of the health sub-centre in his ward. The 45-year-old welder realised that the facility serving his locality was functioning in extremely poor conditions — and that a sanctioned government fund for a new building had remained unused for years simply because no land had been identified.

Aji, who recently won from the Minnamcode ward, spent nearly two months appealing to residents to donate land for the new sub-centre. Despite repeated requests through local meetings, Kudumbashree networks and grama sabhas, no suitable offer came forward. Determined not to let the project fail, Aji made a personal decision. He donated five cents of land he had purchased a decade ago with the dream of building a new house for his family.

“The situation at the centre was heartbreaking,” Aji said. “It has been operating from a shed next to the anganwadi in Minnamcode for nearly ten years. The structure is damaged, rainwater seeps inside, there’s no proper storage for medicines, not even a refrigerator for essential drugs. The fan is tied with rope and the area even has snake threats.”

The cramped space can hold barely a dozen people at a time, making it difficult to conduct medical camps, meetings or vaccination drives. Yet the facility caters to residents of four wards — Alakunnam, Mukkampalammoodu, Minnamcode and Thuruthumoola — including pregnant women, children and elderly patients. Regular health camps, vaccination drives and lifestyle disease check-ups are all conducted there.

It was during discussions on improving the centre that Aji learnt the Health Department had already sanctioned ₹55 lakh for constructing a new building. However, the project stalled for years due to the lack of land.

“I kept asking people if anyone could help. We even looked for government land. When nothing worked, I thought about the five cents I own in Mukkampalammoodu,” he said.

Aji had bought the plot in 2016 for over ₹9 lakh, hoping to build a house there someday, closer to relatives. The family had since been cultivating banana on the land.

“It took years of hard work to buy it. But when I realised the health centre depended on it, the decision became clear. It is also a good location with proper road access,” he said. His family supported him wholeheartedly. “They were happy and felt it was a meaningful contribution,” Aji added.

The land transfer procedures have now been completed and the property was registered in the panchayat secretary's name. With the site finalised, Aji expects the funds to be released within a month and construction to begin within three months.

Despite his public responsibilities, Aji continues his welding work to support his family. He works from early morning until 10 am before attending to ward's issues while his employees manage operations during his absence. Aji lives with his wife Parvathy, who works at Technopark, their children Madhav and Arav, and his mother Girija.