Works on Anakkampoyil-Meppadi tunnel road get under way

The Anakkampoyil-Kalladi-Meppadi tunnel road is a landmark initiative of the State government that will lead to the development of upland regions, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said.

Inaugurating the works of the twin tunnel road at the St. Mary’s School ground at Anakkampoyil in Kozhikode on Sunday, the Chief Minister said the government was delivering on its promise, as the road was included in the Left Democratic Front’s election manifesto in 2021.

“This is one of those projects that many people expected never to materialise. The upland highway and the waterways are also in progress. The State is trying to complete projects that were in limbo for long,” the Chief Minister said.

He said the plan was to complete the tunnel road in 60 months. “It will be a huge boost to tourism, agriculture, and trade sectors while offering an alternative to the Thamarassery Ghat road,” he added.

₹2,134.5-crore project

The 8.73-km road connects Thiruvambady panchayat in Kozhikode district to Meppadi panchayat in Wayanad district through an 8.11-km-long tunnel between Marippuzha and Meenakshippalam. It is a ₹2,134.5-crore project which will reduce the travelling time between Anakkampoyil and Meppadi by one-and-a-half hours and distance by 22 km.

The project has been funded by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) with the Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd (KRCL) as a special purpose vehicle. The tunnels will be constructed by Hyderabad-based Dilip Buildcon Pvt. Ltd. while Royal Infrastructure Company will develop the approach roads.

Facilities planned

Once completed, it is expected to be the longest twin tunnel road and the third longest tunnel road in the country. It will have modern facilities for safety and monitoring such as ventilation, fire fighting units, tunnel radio system, CCTV, escape route lightings, emergency call system and traffic signals. The two tunnels will be connected every 300 metres to avoid traffic congestion when necessary.

Minister for Public Works P.A. Mohamed Riyas, Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal, Minister for Forest and Wildlife A.K. Saseendran, Minister for Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Tribes O.R. Kelu, MLAs Linto Joseph, T. Siddique, and PTA Rahim were present during the inauguration.