Man Protests Kottayam Municipality’s 73-Day Delay with ‘Sweet Revenge’ Laddus

Kottayam: In a unique form of protest, a man distributed laddus (Indian sweets) to employees at the Kottayam Municipal Office on Monday morning, turning a gesture of goodwill into a stinging rebuke against bureaucratic delays. Many employees initially accepted the sweets with smiles, only to be confronted with a poster pinned to the man’s chest that revealed the true intent behind the offering.

The poster, which read, “Distributing laddus to the Kottayam Municipality staff for providing a service that should have been completed in three days, but took 73 days. Thank you for making me visit the office repeatedly for 73 days,” immediately changed the atmosphere. Some employees promptly returned the laddus, while others who had already consumed them were left visibly embarrassed and flustered.

The protest was spearheaded by Salimon Karimpil of Chingavanam, a retired Assistant Secretary from Kurichi Panchayat. He had booked the Kottayam Municipal Hall in February for his daughter’s wedding, which took place on July 12. On July 21, he submitted an application to the municipality for the refund of the Rs. 10,000 deposit he had paid.

According to Salimon, he was repeatedly turned away with various excuses every time he inquired about the refund. Even when he approached the Secretary, he was simply told that the file had been signed and to “ask there,” pointing to another section, effectively passing the buck. Exasperated by the 73-day delay for a service that should typically be completed within a week, Salimon finally lodged a complaint with the Joint Director of the Local Self-Government Department on October 3. Miraculously, the deposit amount was returned to him on the evening of October 4. Salimon’s “laddu protest” was a pointed act of ‘sweet revenge’ to highlight the inefficiencies and delays he faced at the municipal office.