KOCHI: It is the third time in less than a month that a young man has attempted to kill himself in Smashanam Colony (Crematorium Colony). In the earlier cases, a young man aged 26 and other 37-year-old, succumbed to death. However, this time, luckily the residents were able to spot the attempt and save the young man, who is also his 20s.The residents of the little Smashanam colony are a worried lot. The colony, built on a little plot of land by the Corporation to rehabilitate people who had lost their homes to various projects, falls right beside the Pullepady crematorium.While the reasons furnished by the residents are many, one which keeps recurring is the influence of alcohol. Alarmed by the growing liquor abuse in the colony, the Councillor of the area had called for a meeting of the residents about six months back. A few counselling sessions were conducted after the meeting and they soon came to a standstill. The nature of the work performed by most of the men in the colony is one of the reasons for the abuse.“Many men in the colony are involved in jobs like waste picking for the Corporation. This means post morning hours, men are left with nothing to do and therefore, gather to drink alcohol,” Councillor K J Jacob said.However, this is no consolation for the estranged families. “There were no reasons for him take such a step,” says Rajamma Thankachan, as her eyes wanders again and again to the yellow goods auto parked a few metres away. “It is a brand new vehicle. He used to rent an autorickshaw. Then, he took a loan of Rs 2 lakh to buy this one. Now all that will remain a loan. Who will pay it back now?” she asks.Rajamma’s son, an autorickshaw driver was the sole breadwinner of the family. His father, a former construction worker, is now paralysed under the waist. He has two children, a 5-year-old son and a six month old daughter. The family, which had fallen into debt after a surgery performed on the elder child, was looking forward to better days when the new tragedy unfolded.
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