Ending a nearly three-decade-long wait for a vital cross-border connectivity project, the Centre has sanctioned ₹27 crore for the construction of the Bairakkuppa Bridge across the Kabani River, connecting Wayanad in Kerala with Karnataka.

The bridge, to be built under the Sethubandhan scheme of the Central Road and Infrastructure Fund (CRIF), will link Perikkalloor village in Wayanad with Bairakkuppa in Karnataka, providing a direct route for thousands of people who currently have to take a circuitous road journey to reach the opposite bank.

Public Works Minister P K Basheer described it as a major breakthrough for the long-pending project. He said construction would begin soon and credited the efforts of the UDF government in Kerala and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for securing the approval.

Basheer said he had held several rounds of discussions with Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, which eventually led to Karnataka issuing a no-objection certificate (NOC) for the project, removing a key hurdle to its implementation.

The bridge was conceived as a joint initiative by Kerala and Karnataka, with the foundation stone laid on September 24, 1994, by the then chief ministers of the two states, K Karunakaran and Veerappa Moily. However, the project remained on paper for decades, forcing residents on both sides of the river to rely on longer road routes.

The minister said Public Works Department (PWD) officials would oversee the land acquisition process for the approach roads on both sides of the river. The Kerala government would bear the cost of acquiring the land, he added.

The need for a permanent connection is underscored by the daily movement of people across the two regions. Bairakkuppa has a population of around 10,000, while Perikkalloor is home to approximately 28,000 people. According to Basheer, around 300 to 350 people, including nearly 200 students, travel between the two regions every day.

At present, reaching the opposite bank by road involves a detour of around 20 km. The proposed bridge is expected to cut travel time and improve access to schools, healthcare facilities, markets and other essential services.

The project is also expected to reduce the road distance between Sulthan Bathery in Wayanad and Mysuru in Karnataka by around 40 km, benefiting commuters, traders and other travellers while strengthening economic and social ties between the neighbouring states.

The central approval marks a significant step towards reviving the long-stalled project, although the completion of land acquisition and other preparatory work will be crucial to taking construction forward.