Wayanad Greens demands cancellation of tunnel project; holds govt responsible for landslip

Wayanad: The Wayanad Prakrithi Samrakshana Samiti (WPSS) has demanded the immediate suspension of construction work on the Kozhikode–Wayanad twin tunnel project following the mudslide near Meenakshi Bridge at Kalladi in Meppadi grama panchayat.

In a press conference held on Wednesday, the organisation said the state government and the judiciary should be held accountable for the incident, recalling that it had challenged the environmental and statutory clearances granted for the project through a series of legal petitions that reached the Supreme Court.

WPSS criticised Agriculture Minister and Kalpetta MLA T Siddique's remarks, alleging that attempts were being made to place the entire responsibility for the incident on the contractor while ignoring larger issues related to the project.

The organisation alleged that the tunnel project was implemented without adequate scientific evaluation despite repeated warnings from environmental groups. It also claimed that the state government obtained the Stage-I forest clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change by providing misleading information.

WPSS further questioned the transparency of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) prepared by Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd., alleging that key safety parameters had been compromised to speed up the project.

While the twin tunnel project has been promoted as a solution to traffic congestion on the Thamarassery Ghat Road, the organisation argued that it failed to consider the ecological sensitivity of the Camel Hump mountain range in the Western Ghats, an area it said has experienced frequent landslides over the years.

The organisation also alleged that its members faced harassment and intimidation after approaching the courts seeking detailed scientific studies before the project was taken up.

Calling the mudslide a warning about the area's environmental vulnerability, WPSS sought an independent investigation into the roles of the Public Works Department, agencies involved in project studies, the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority, and others associated with the project's approval and promotion.

The organisation urged the government to halt all construction activities until an expert scientific panel completes a comprehensive review of the project's environmental and geological safety.

WPSS president N Badusha presided over the meeting. Leaders Babu Mylambadi, Thomas Ambalavayal, Thachambath Ramakrishnan, C I Gopalakrishnan, Sunny Marakkadavu and P M Suresh also spoke.