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The ‘Wayanad Prakrithi Samrakshana Samithi’ (WPSS), a prominent environmentalist group has approached the union environmental ministry demanding that the project should be scrapped as it poses serious danger to the ghat region which is been categorized as ‘High Hazard Zone’ and majority of the land in the region falls under the ‘unstable’ category.
The ‘Vellarimala’ hill range in Wayanad situated very close to the proposed project
Ernakulam: Even as the state government has initiated the tender procedures of the Wayanad twin tunnel project, environmentalists have approached the Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) with a demand to cancel the clearance for the project.
The ‘Wayanad Prakrithi Samrakshana Samithi’ (WPSS), a prominent environmentalist group has approached the union environmental ministry demanding that the project should be scrapped as it poses serious danger to the ghat region which is been categorized as ‘High Hazard Zone’ and majority of the land in the region falls under the ‘unstable’ category.
In a letter to the centre, the environmental group has cited that there was a deliberate misrepresentation of facts in the application submitted for getting first-level clearance for the project.
It was Dileep Buildcon Limited, a Hyderabad-based infrastructure development company that has won the tender for the project, which is estimated to cost Rs 1341 crores.
Wayanad Prakrithi Samrakshana Samithi (WPSS) has written a letter to the Union Minister as well as to the Secretary of the (MoEF&CC) pointing out alleged omissions in the procedure. It has urged the Union government to reject the application prepared by the Public Works Department for final clearance.
“We have decided to hold protests and educate the public on the adverse affects of this tunnel”, said N Badusha, president of WPSS.
Meanwhile, the CPM leadership has made it clear that once the tunnel becomes a reality, it will be a huge relief for daily travellers and long distance travellers where they will not have to wait in long queues.
However, the BJP is in a ‘wait and watch’ mode as the party has not officially expressed its view on the matter. However, a senior BJP leader in Wayanad expressed his concerns and apprehensions on the project.
“As a resident of Wayanad I personally feel this project will be a threat to the environment and could affect the sensitive and fragile ecological balance in the region that is already unstable”, he said on conditions of anonymity.
The letter has mentioned that the 8.7 km long four-lane tunnel road cuts through the eco-sensitive zones of Thiruvambadi, Jeerakappara (both in Kozhikode district), Vellarimala and Kottapadi (both in Wayanad district) villages, devouring a total land area of around 51.370 hectares of which 34.304 hectares comprise forest land.
The letter also quoted the report of the State-level Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC), which flagged the environmentally sensitive nature of the land, referring to it as a ‘High Hazard Zone’ and saying that the majority of the land of the region falls under the ‘unstable’ category.
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