Traffic yet to be restored on Wayanad Ghat road; restricted passage likely at night

Wayanad: The Thamarassery Ghat road connecting Wayanad and Kozhikode districts remained closed for the second consecutive day on Thursday, after repeated efforts to restore traffic failed.

Officials of the National Highways Authority, however, expressed hope that restricted vehicular movement could be permitted at night, as the two alternate routes — Kuttiady Ghat road and Nadukani Ghat road — were heavily congested due to traffic diversion.

The District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), led by District Collector D R Meghasree, along with the Kozhikode district administration, had attempted to reopen the road by evening. But minor landslips at the site forced them to halt restoration.

A major mudslide had struck near the 9th curve of the ghat road, close to the Wayanad Gate at Lakkidy, around 7 pm on Wednesday. Several vehicles narrowly escaped being swept away, but hundreds were trapped between Adivaram in Kozhikode district and Lakkidy in Wayanad till 10.30 pm. It took nearly two hours for the emergency team to clear a single-line passage and evacuate the stranded vehicles.

By late Thursday evening, Fire and Rescue personnel from Wayanad, volunteers of the Churam Samrakshana Samithy, and officials and police from both Kozhikode and Wayanad districts were still working to remove the debris. But continuous rain and fresh mudslides hampered the operation.

Volunteers said they had a narrow escape when fresh boulders and loose soil slid from the upper slope on Thursday. The Fire and Rescue team also pumped water onto the slope to dislodge unstable rocks and soil that threatened to collapse.