Wayanad's 30-Year Dream Takes Wings

CM Pinarayi Vijayan to inaugurate construction of twin tunnel linking Anakampoyil, Kalladi and Meppadi today

- LAKSHMI ATHIRA @Kalpetta

WAYANAD'S three-decade dream of reliable road connectivity will take a definite step closer to reality on Sunday when Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurates the construction of the twin tunnel linking Anakampoyil, Kalladi, and Meppadi — a project that promises to end the district's crippling isolation and unlock new avenues of growth.

For years, heavy rain, road accidents, or even minor landslides on the Thamarassery ghat road have cut Wayanad off from the rest of Kerala. The plea for an alternative route has echoed for decades. Local residents believe the twin tunnel will not only end this crippling isolation but also open new doors for development.

"Even over the past few days, we struggled when landslides forced a closure of the ghat road. No other district in Kerala faces such isolation. Some people oppose the project citing environmental issues but those concerns shouldn't stop our basic development. We don't have good hospitals or schools, nor railways or an airstrip. If the ghat road closes, our only fate is helplessness," said Minhaj Khalid of Kalpetta.