KOLLAM: Kadavoor Sivadasan, 87, Congress leader and former minister, died at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram due to age-related ailments on Friday morning. The body was kept at the Kollam DCC office and his house at Anandavalleeswaram here for some time to enable the public to pay their last respects.
He was cremated at Mulankadakom crematorium around 4 p.m. He leaves behind his wife R. Vijayamma, daughter S. Mini and son Shaji Sivadasan. Political and cultural leaders from various walks of life paid tributes to Sivadasan.
He served as minister for electricity, forest, excise, health and labour in the governments led by Congress leaders K. Karunakaran and A.K. Ant-ony. Sivadasan was the brain behind forming welfare boards for labourers in the unorganised sectors.
Sivadasan started his political career as an RSP worker and was the president of Progressive Students Union in 1958. He was elected to the Assem-bly from Kundara in 1980 and 1982 representing the RSP. He later joined the Congress party and won the elections from Kunda-ra in 1991 and 1996 and fr-om Kollam in 2001. He also served as Kollam DCC president.
Sivadasan, who was bo-rn at Kadavoor on March 11, 1932, completed his sc-hooling from government high school, Thevally. He later graduated in economics from SN College here and studied law at Ernakulam Law College.
