Priyanka Gandhi writes to Nitin Gadkari on Thamarassery Pass mudslide, seeks action

Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi has written to Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari urging immediate action to restore traffic through the Thamarassery Pass in Kerala after a major mudslide blocked the route.

Calling the ghat road “the only refuge of Wayanad people,” Priyanka Gandhi said it must be made traffic-ready without delay. “The disruption is causing great hardship to the people of Wayanad, who depend on Kozhikode district even for health purposes,” she wrote in her letter.

She asked the Centre to send “an expert committee immediately to study the measures required to prevent mudslides on the Thamarassery Pass road.” The MP also pressed for preparations of an alternative route “that can be used in such emergencies as soon as possible.”

Priyanka Gandhi reminded that in a high-level meeting convened by Rahul Gandhi in November 2023, officials were asked to fast-track the Poozhithodu–Pandijarathara road, the Churam bypass, the Puthupaddi–Muthanga four-lane project, and address the sharp bends that cause constant travel difficulties at Thamarassery.

Meanwhile, the district administration has decided to permit small vehicles to use the pass only when it is not raining, while heavy vehicles will remain barred until further notice.

The incident occurred on Tuesday evening when huge rocks and soil fell onto the road near the Lakkidi viewpoint. Passengers commuting on the stretch narrowly escaped, and traffic came to a standstill as hundreds of vehicles were stranded. Firefighters and equipment from Kalpetta were deployed to the spot.

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