The Kerala High Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea by Wayanad Prakrithi Samrakshana Samity, an NGO, that challenged the construction of a twin tube tunnel corridor for linking Kozhikode and Wayanad districts.
A PIL by the samity had challenged the environmental clearance accorded by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to the Public Works department for the project that is expected to reduce travel time between the two districts. The samity further contended that the tunnel would affect the fragile ecosystem in the region.
The 8.73-km-long twin tube unidirectional tunnel road (2+2 Lane) having a four-lane approach (from existing roads) was aimed at providing direct connectivity between Anakkampoyil–Kalladi-Meppadi in Kozhikode, and Wayanad districts. The proposed corridor was to be situated at an average altitude ranging from 700 to 2,061 metres above the sea level, passing through the biodiverse Western Ghats.
The samity contended that the project’s environmental clearance was granted in a mechanical manner, without due application of mind, since the tunnel corridor was proposed to be built in an ecologically sensitive area that witnessed many natural disasters, including severe floods and landslides in 2018, 2019 and 2024.
It was also situated in close proximity to Mundakkai and Chooralmala villages that were worst affected in the 2024 landslides. It further argued that the Environment Impact Assessment Study for the project was not comprehensive.
The MoEFCC justified the environmental clearance by stating that in-principle approval was granted by its regional office, much before the landslides in Wayanad that occurred on 30 July, 2024.
That apart, the Government of Kerala had submitted that landslide-affected areas were about 7 Km away from the alignment of the project. Further, the State government had also submitted technical reports of the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority on the landslide precautionary conditions with respect to the landslide proneness of the region and the mitigation measures recommended.
At present, the proposal is pending with the State government for verifying the compliance of conditions. Hence, the regional office has not provided final approval to the project, for want of additional information.
Moreover, studies on the matter have concluded that the elevation difference between the ‘tunnel portals’ and nearby waterbodies effectively prevents flooding or a drainage hazard even under extreme rainfall conditions, with a difference of 17.8 metres at the south portal (Iruvanzhipuzha) and 16.28 metres at the north portal (Meenakshi River).
It was also submitted before the HC that there would be lay-bys at intervals of 750 metres to serve as emergency refuge and parking spaces for vehicles in distress. Furthermore, cross passages have been proposed at intervals of 300 metres to ensure safety, connectivity, and effective evacuation in case of emergencies.
A Bench of Justice A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice Jobin Sebastian said that a holistic consideration of the materials before the court do not show any procedural lapse regarding granting of environmental clearance to the tunnel project.
“We, therefore, dismiss this writ petition as devoid of merit, without prejudice to the right of the petitioners to approach the National Green Tribunal in the event of any fresh cause of action arising during the implementation of the project in question,” the court said and added that it expected the State Executive to bear in mind the public accountability that is expected of them.
It thus ought to monitor the project diligently at every stage of its implementation, by according primacy to people’s safety, the court said.
