Wayanad: With the flow of tourists to the hill district witnessing a manyfold increase during the festive season, the 9-km stretch of the National Highway 766 in the Wayanad Ghats has been witnessing recurring traffic snarls. The last of the series was the hours-long traffic block that left hundreds of vehicles stranded on the road on Sunday.
The traffic, which came to a standstill after a huge truck got stuck at one of the curves on Sunday afternoon, was cleared by midnight after a crane rescued the truck. Though there were many proposals in the past for alternative roads, none of the projects have materialised yet.
Hundreds of tourists who had reserved rooms in Wayanad for holidays had to check-in at the hotels and lodges near Adivaram and Thamarassery as the passengers were clueless when the traffic blues would be over.
During weekends and holidays, the otherwise smooth 20-minutes drive, would be extended to more than 1 hour.
The State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has sharply criticised the Kozhikode and Wayanad district administrations for not resolving the issue.
Restrict movement of huge trucks
The majority of traffic blocks are caused by heavy-loaded trucks which are unable to negotiate the hair-pin bends.
In the past, there were orders to restrict the movement of huge trucks through the ghat road during festival days in order to avoid traffic snarls. It has been suggested that huge vehicles should be allowed on ghat road only during late hours even on normal days.
Many tourists who fly down to the Calicut International Airport in Karipur or arrive at the Kozhikode railway station are often left in a fix due to the traffic jam.
KG Ajesh, member secretary of District Tourism Promotion Council of Wayanad told Onmanorama that the council would invite the attention of District Collectors of both the districts of Kozhikode and Wayanad to the issue as the ghat road falls under the jurisdiction of Kozhikode district. 'Tourism picked up in thes districts after recurring campaigns. If we fail to provide people with the basic infrastructure facility, they may not visit the next time,' he pointed out.
Wayanad Tourism Organization (WTO) secretary CP Shylesh agrees.
“Though the tunnel-road project is in the pipeline, it would take many years to materialize. Many viable suggestions for alternate roads failed to see the light of day despite tourism fraternity's repeated demands,” Shylesh said.
Alternate routes
There were many proposals as an alternate route to the existing Wayanad Ghat road which is the lone link of the district to the other parts of the state. In 2011, the UDF government which came to power had announced the speedy completion of two road projects – the Chippilithode-Maruthilavu-Thalippuzha Road and Anakkampoyil- Kalladi-Meppadi road. But both still remain non-starters as they failed to secure a clearance from the Forest Department.
Another project in the pipeline for decades was the Padinjarethara-Poozhithod Road. Though the construction of the project was inaugurated in 1994, the objection raised by the Union Ministry of Forests and Environment for utilizing the forest land for the purpose, still remains.
Environmental organizations of the region are also against such new road projects. They demand that instead of causing much more destruction to nature, the existing Ghat Road could be widened, utilizing more forest land for the purpose.
