Wayanad: The decision to prepare a DPR for the 7-km stretch of the Padinjarathara–Poozhithode road, which runs through the forest, has given the project a shot in the arm. The road that proposes to link Kozhikode district with Wayanad’s Mananthavadi taluk has been delayed for decades and the latest moves comes after 1,000 days of public agitation. The Public Works Department (PWD) has appointed two nodal officers to coordinate with multiple departments and speed up the process.

At a review meeting, PWD Minister P A Mohamed Riyas admitted that poor coordination between the revenue, forest, and PWD departments had stalled progress for years. V K Hashim, Executive Engineer of Kozhikode Roads Division, will oversee internal coordination, while A Shibu, Additional Secretary, will liaise with other departments. A primary Detailed Project Report (DPR) is expected by October 25. A ₹1.5 crore survey sanctioned earlier has been completed.

Residents, however, call the project a “mark of injustice,” pointing out that land was donated free of cost decades ago. Their agitation began in 2016 and turned into a continuous relay protest near the Banasura Sagar dam on January 1, 2023, which crossed its 1,000th day on September 28. Kamal Joseph, convener of the Padinjarathara–Poozhithode Road Action Council, alleged that successive governments deceived locals and that a lobby deliberately stalled the project to protect the Kalpetta–Kozhikode route.

Sanctioned in 1994, 70 per cent of the project has been completed. Residents argue that finishing the last 7 km stretch through the forest will create a direct, safer route without steep climbs or hairpin bends. Over 150 families gave up their land but continue to pay taxes as PWD has yet to formally acquire it.

The road holds strategic value, providing a link to Wayanad’s heartland in Padinjarathara and serving as a night route to Mysuru and Bengaluru, bypassing NH 766 restrictions. The scenic stretch through Kakkyam, Peruvannamuzhi, and Banasura Sagar also adds tourism potential.

Though the completed portions were named State Highway (SH) 54 in 2005, the road still ends abruptly at Panakkamkadavu in Kozhikode and Kuttiyamvayal in Wayanad. Villagers sarcastically call it a “state highway to home, but connected to nowhere.”

“Had the road been completed in 2005, it could have changed our fortunes. Instead, we sacrificed our lives and livelihoods and got nothing in return,” said K S Saqafi of the Action Council. With elections approaching, residents now hope political promises will finally lead to its completion.