The land purchase is nearing completion and work will probably begin in August

Kalpetta: Work on the tunnel project connecting Wayanad with Kozhikode district as an alternative to the existing Thamarassery Ghat road (NH 766) will begin within two months.
Preparations are underway to commence construction work on the 8.17 km long Kozhikode-Wayanad Tunnel Road project with twin tunnels, one of the prestigious projects of the LDF government (at a cost of Rs 2,149 crore), which is expected to start in August. For almost a decade, the Ghat stretch of road was a nightmare for commuters as heavy traffic on the road caused hours-long traffic jams on the 9-km stretch of NH 766.

Land acquisition on both sides in Wayanad and Kozhikode districts is coming to an end. On the Kozhikode side, as many as 9.3037 hectares of land out of 11.1582 hectares earmarked for the project were acquired and handed over to the PWD on June 6. Procedures to acquire the remaining 1.85 ha of land are also underway. On the Wayanad side, land acquisition was completed and the entire 8.32 hectare land was handed over to the PWD on May 31.

An environmental decision is still awaited for this investment. Amount Rs. No. 3,80,48,123/- has been transferred to the State Government Management and Planning Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAMPA) and an equal amount of private land has already been acquired. The Environmental Impact Study has also been completed. Thiruvambadi MLA Linto Joseph told Onmanorama that the procurement procedures for the project are expected to be completed by June-end.

“Even then, the successful bidders will have a month-long period to execute the contract and work may start in August,” he said, adding that due to the peak of monsoons, weather would be crucial for the final completion date. project launch. The project connects Kozhikode district with Wayanad district through a parallel tunnel connecting Marippuzha in Thiruvambadi, Kozhikode with Kalladi in Meppadi in Wayanad.

The entire fund for the project has already been allocated under the KIIFB (Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board) scheme. Moreover, Rs 108 crore has already been sanctioned for the construction of an access road from Thiruvambadi to Marippuzha (17.5 km), the work of which has been entrusted to the Uralungal Labor Contract Society. Research work on the tunnel began in September 2020. The Prime Minister, which is among the top 30 projects of the LDF government, directly monitors the progress of the work every three months.