Kozhikode: Uralungal Labour Contract Co-operative Society (ULCCS) chairman Remeshan Palery died on Tuesday morning while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Coimbatore. He was 66.

Palery, who had been part of the leadership of ULCCS for more than three decades, played a key role in expanding the cooperative society from a local labour collective into one of Asia’s largest labour cooperatives.

His body will be kept for public homage at UL Cyber Park in Thondayad, Kozhikode, on Tuesday afternoon before being taken to Vadakara.

Three decades of leadership at ULCCS

Remeshan Palery became the chairman of ULCCS in 1995 at the age of 35. During his tenure, he focused on restructuring the society, expanding its activities and improving its organisational systems.

Under his leadership, ULCCS diversified beyond traditional infrastructure work and developed activities in areas including education, skill development, employment generation and social welfare.

The cooperative grew into a major infrastructure developer in Kerala, undertaking projects involving roads, bridges and buildings. The society also expanded its workforce and strengthened its labour welfare initiatives.

Palery was also behind the development of UL Cyber Park, described as Malabar’s first IT Special Economic Zone, a project with an investment of Rs 600 crore. During his leadership, the society’s turnover increased from Rs 1.6 crore to Rs 1,610 crore, according to details published by ULCCS.

Recognition and public works role

Palery received several awards during his career, including the Robert Owen Award, M. Bhaskaran Memorial Cooperative Excellence Award, Global Kadathanadan Award and NHAI Best Performer Award.

ULCCS has had a significant role in Kerala’s public infrastructure sector as an accredited implementing agency for government projects. The society has executed several major works, including roads, bridges and buildings.

The organisation has also been at the centre of political discussions over the years. During the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, opposition leaders had raised questions over the government’s association with ULCCS and the allocation of public works to accredited agencies without open competitive tenders in several cases.

A recent United Democratic Front (UDF) government decision to extend the accreditation period of agencies involved in public works, including ULCCS, until July 31, 2026, had also drawn political attention. Earlier, when in opposition, senior UDF leaders including Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan and AICC general secretary K.C. Venugopal had criticised what they described as preferential treatment given to ULCCS by the previous LDF government.

Palery’s contributions to the cooperative sector and ULCCS’s expansion made him a prominent figure in Kerala’s labour cooperative movement.