Kerala govt files caveat in SC over plea against Wayanad tunnel

Kozhikode: The state govt has filed a caveat application in the Supreme Court in connection with the petition filed by Wayanad Prakrithi Samrakshana Samithi (WPSS) seeking a stay on construction of the Anakkampoyil-Meppadi-Kalladi tunnel road linking Kozhikode and Wayanad districts. Through the caveat, the state has requested the apex court to hear its arguments before passing any order on the petition which also seek to revoke the project's environmental clearance. The caveat petition was filed by state govt's standing counsel Adv C K Sasi. WPSS has argued that the proposed tunnel cuts through ecologically fragile and landslide-prone stretches of Western Ghats which had witnessed multiple devastating landslides. The first rock blast for the tunnel road was carried out by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan at Maripuzha on March 6. The Rs 2,134 crore project would see construction of an 8.73-km tunnel. The project is executed by Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd, which is the special purpose vehicle, while the construction works are carried out by Bhopal-based Dilip Buildcon. MoEFCC had last month granted stage- II forest clearance (final approval) for the tunnel road. The project had earlier obtained stage-1 forest clearance for the diversion of 17.263ha of forest land earlier. A stretch of 5.76km of the tunnel passes through forestland and 17.263ha of forest land is to be utilized for the project, out of which 16.269ha is for underground usage and 0.994ha is for over ground usage.