Socio-cultural Processes and Livelihood Patterns at Tirurangadi - CDS

construction depends on how far the area develops industrially and commercially.
Otherwise is not sustainable and the present boom will come to an end within a few years
and the construction workers will be out of work. Moreover, the construction work
cannot be considered as a regular activity, as each building is likely to be rebuilt only in
cycles of about thirty years, and otherwise only repair and maintenance work is likely.
Otherwise we have to do for buildings what many contractors do for roads, build in such
a way that it falls down on the occupant immediately after construction! Thus there is
every possibility that the boom will not last long, and the present workers as well as the
contractors will have look for employment elsewhere.
Service Sector
Where will these opportunities come from? We have already seen that agriculture is no
longer considered a remunerative investment by a sizeable section of the people, and the
industrial growth has been very limited. In spite of the lack of productive investment on a
large scale, we have a flourishing market economy in the area. The reason seems to be
twofold. One is the growth of a service sector, and the other is the substantial growth of
Gulf remittances. Service sector can itself be divided into two forms. One is the growth
of standard services, such as education, health, drinking water, electricity and other
infrastructural facilities, services instituted by the Government and the Panchayats, and
others including new forms of communication, multimedia and tourism. Since the
formation of Kerala State, there has been substantial expansion in this sector. There are at
present twelve High schools, two in the unaided sector, some of them higher secondary
schools and one vocational higher secondary school, and numerous Upper primary and
lower primary schools, besides a teachers training institute in the area. Apart from the
University centre, which is in the area, there is one Arts and Science College, an Arabic
College, a Government Polytechnic and numerous Parallel colleges, besides a large