Massive boulders roll onto road in Kannur, narrow escape for vehicles and passersby

Cherupuzha: A routine day on the Rajagiri–Josegiri route turned perilous when massive boulders suddenly rolled down from a nearby quarry, narrowly missing vehicles and people in the vicinity.

Traffic along the route came to a complete halt following the incident, which occurred around 3 PM on Monday. The rocks rolled out from the Rajagiri Blue Metals quarry and came to rest on the road, bringing movement to a standstill. The presence of several houses just below the site too adds to the gravity of the situation.

Electricity department staff who had arrived to trim tree branches near power lines as well as the revenue officials on election duty escaped by a narrow margin. The rocks landed barely 10 metres from where they were standing, while two vehicles were parked nearby.

The boulders travelled nearly 150 metres, uprooting coconut palms and trees and snapping two electricity poles before crashing onto the road. The impact left large craters at the site and disrupted power supply, raising fresh concerns over quarry operations in the area.

The quarry had been shut down earlier following protests by local residents and was reopened only recently. In the aftermath of the incident, the panchayat, local action committee and residents have taken a firm stand, insisting that the rocks be cleared only in the presence of officials who had approved the quarry’s operations despite public opposition. With the road blocked, residents of the Josegiri area have been cut off from the outside world.

V Kunhikrishnan, an independent candidate in the Payyanur constituency, and NDA candidate A P Gangadharan visited the area and expressed their support to the protesting locals.