Mananchira-Vellimadukunnu project: Row over bifurcation of 8.4km stretch

3km from Malaparamba to Vellimadukunnu has been put on hold, pending clearance from NHAI

- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @Kozhikode

A long-cherished dream for improved connectivity in Kozhikode—the Mananchira-Vellimadukunnu Road development project—finds itself at a contentious crossroads. Despite years of persistent advocacy and substantial land acquisition, the last-minute decision to bifurcate the crucial 8.4-km stretch has sparked widespread hue and cry and allegations of sabotage, leaving city folks and a dedicated action committee in disbelief.

According to the latest plan, only the initial 5.32-km stretch—from Mananchira to Malaparamba—will be taken up for development in the first phase. The remaining 3km, from Malaparamba to Vellimadukunnu, which falls under the jurisdiction of National Highway 766, has been put on hold indefinitely, pending clearance from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).