PWD invites tenders to prepare DPR for Chippilithode-Thalippuzha bypass in Wayanad

Kalpetta: The Public Works Department has invited tenders for the preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Chippilithode-Thalippuzha bypass to the Thamarassery Ghat Road. The tenders would be opened on October 16. The project is part of establishing a four-lane road from Kozhikode to Muthanga (a distance of 114 km) on the National Highway 766. 

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had earlier conducted a feasibility survey, which confirmed that an alternate road without hairpin bends is possible in the stretch. An alignment was already set, though slight changes may be made while preparing the DPR.   

The NH expansion project was initially planned to develop the Kozhikode-Muthanga stretch in two phases - Malaparamba-Puthuppadi and Puthuppadi-Muthanga. However, the NHAI now intends to execute it in a single phase. If the bypass project materialises, the vehicular movement through the ghat road may be converted to one-way traffic. The renewed project also includes five bypasses: Chippilithode-Thalippuzha, Meenangadi, Koduvalli, Thamarassery and at Sulthan Bathery. 

Additionally, the three 'hairpin bends' of the ghat road will be widened at an estimated cost of ₹35.49 crore. The work on the road is expected to begin by mid-October. 

The Cihppilithode-Marutilavu-Thalippuzha road begins at Thalippuzha near Lakkidy and ends at Chippilothode, three km away from the starting point of the Ghat Road at Adivaram. 

The main impediment to the project is the 9-km forest stretch within the 14.44 km alignment. In Wayanad district, the NHAI will need to acquire 12 hectares of land, including ecologically fragile forest land. In Kozhikode district, 25.86 hectares of land will need to be acquired, comprising 4.85 hectares of forest land and 21.01 hectares of private land.

Surveys for the road were conducted twice, and a master plan was prepared. However, the project has seen no progress as the state government has shown little interest in it. According to a survey conducted by Ruby Soft Tech, a Thiruvananthapuram-based agency, incorporating a small tunnel into the project could halve the total distance.  

Delay due to the twin-tunnel project
Nilgiri-Wayanad Railway and National Highway Action Council convener Adv. T M Rasheed told Onmanorama that the bypass project could have been executed much earlier. "I feel the project was delayed to secure clearance for the Wayanad twin-tunnel road project. The project managers feared that if this bypass were built, they would not be able to garner enough public support for the tunnel road. Moreover, according to official timelines, this project is not expected to be completed until 2030. This, when we have been struggling to complete even the 8-km Sulthan Bathery-Thaloor road for the past eight years," he said.

"The entire (twin-tunnel) project is an eye wash. What we need are these alternate routes, which could be completed for ₹250-300 crore," he added. He said the Poozhithode-Padinjarethara road will not ease the congestion on the Ghat Road, and only the Chippilithode-Thalippuzha road can serve as a feasible alternative.   

According to government records, the contract work for the Sulthan Bathery-Thaloor road was first sanctioned to the Prathien Infrastructure Company, Coimbatore, for ₹31.05 crore. The amount was allotted through KIIFB (Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund) in November 2016. The DP was prepared in 2018, tenders were floated in 2019, and work commenced in 2021. The work is still on.

"We don't even complete simple road projects on time", said John J, a native of Sulthan Bathery. "Depending entirely on the 'twin tunnel road' as an alternative is foolish, while alternative roads could be completed with a few hundred crores", he added.

Malabar Development Forum chairman C E Chakkunni told Onmanorama that Wayanad urgently needs better connectivity as it links the Malabar region to Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Except for NH 766, none of the other roads are of national standards. During the monsoon, most of the roads are closed due to landslides, and even a minor landslip can block traffic for days. "The Padinjarathara-Poozhithode road is as essential as the bypass to NH 766. We cannot wait indefinitely for the Rs 2134 Crore tunnel road to be completed", he added.