Mudslide on Thamarassery ghat road reignites debate on alternative route proposals
A key advantage of this route is that it has no hairpin bends, and the construction cost is comparatively low.
A key advantage of this route is that it has no hairpin bends, and the construction cost is comparatively low.
A key advantage of this route is that it has no hairpin bends, and the construction cost is comparatively low.
Kalpetta: Commuters had a harrowing time after access was cut off following the mudslide on the Thamarassery Ghat Road. Proposals on alternative routes have gathered dust due to a slew of factors in the past.
Chippilithode-Thalippuzha Road: A bypass to the Ghat Road
The Cihppilithode-Maruthilavu- Thalippuzha road, a proposed bypass to the existing Thamarassery Ghat Road, was one of the major alternative routes planned to ease the traffic snarls on the ghat stretch of NH 766. The road begins at Thalippuzha near Lakkidy and ends at Chippilothode, 3 km away from Adivaram- the starting point of the Ghat Road.
The main impediment to the project is the 9 km forest stretch within the 14.44 km length. In Kozhikode district, 25.86 hectares of land need to be acquired, including 4.85 hectares of forest land and 21.1 hectares of private land. In Wayanad,12 hectares of land should be acquired, including the ecologically fragile land Although surveys were conducted twice and a master plan was prepared, the project has seen no progress as the state government has shown little interest, it is pointed out.
A key advantage of this route is that it has no hairpin bends, and the construction cost is comparatively low. Of the 14.4 km distance, a 6 km panchayath road already exists in the Kodenchery and Puthuppadi panchayats. Beyond this, a 2.5 km stretch through the forest is followed by another forest road used for transporting timber up to Vythiri.
Kalpetta MLA T Siddique told Onmanorama that the state government is focusing only on the tunnel road as a solution for Wayanad's traffic woes. "The tunnel road is just one option and a distant one, as its completion would take many years. There are other roads that could be completed at lower cost and within a shorter timeframe,"he said. The easiest way is the proposed Chippilithode-Thalippuzha bypass, which diverts from the National Highway at Thalippuzha in Wayanad and rejoins the NH three km away from the ghat stretch at Chippilithode in Kozhikode district, he pointed out.
The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has already considered the proposal and conducted a survey. The Chippilithode-Thalippuzha Road Action Council, which campaigns for the road, alleges that vested interests have torpedoed the efforts. They claim the project could be completed for less than ₹300 crore whereas the ruling regime is interested only in projects costing thousands of crores.
Padinjarethara-Poozhithode Road
The Peruvannamoozhy-Padinjarethara-Poozhithode Road project was another road project that had been hanging fire for many years. The project was approved by the state government in 1994, and the construction even began. The 27 km road, starting near the Peruvannamuzhi Dam in Kozhikode District, would end at Padinjarathara in Mananthavadi taluk. A PWD road already runs up to Poozhithode from the dam site. The bottleneck is a 13 km forest stretch, which includes vested forest land.
Though 104 acres of land have been handed over to the Forest Department in exchange for the 52 acres of vested forest, objections arose citing ecological sensitivity and the presence of rare flora and fauna. Despite the administrative and technical sanctions and allotment of ₹1 crore in the 1994-1995 budget, the project has remained stalled.
Expansion of the existing Ghat Road
Various people's action councils campaigning for alternative routes argue that NH 766 will remain the major access to Wayanad. They stress the need for by-passes that can be used when the road is closed due to mudslides or when it witnesses heavy traffic.
Nilgiri-Wayanad Railway and National Highway Action Council convener T M Rasheed said that the Ghat Road can be widened up to the 6th Curve from Adivaram without much difficulty, as the stretch passes mostly through private land. The NHAI had also considered a 1.5 km tunnel project from 6th Curve to Thalippuzha, to bypass the most sensitive part of the ghat. "The state government should conduct a study on the proposal, and press the NHAI to execute it, which would help ease the pressure on the ghat road," he added.