Activists seek scrapping of tunnel project

Kalpetta: Environmental, cultural and human rights activists staged a satyagraha in front of the civil station on Thursday, demanding that the tunnel road project be scrapped after the recent landslip at Kalladi.

They demanded that a criminal case be registered against the contracting company, holding it responsible for the disaster and that the firm be blacklisted.They also called for a comprehensive probe into the actions of the previous LDF govt, alleging that it had secured environmental clearance (EC) for the project by providing misleading information to the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change without conducting adequate expert studies.Wayanad Prakrithi Samrakshana Samiti president N Badusha inaugurated the protest while Western Ghats Protection Committee president Varghese Vattekkattil presided over it. The speakers said the tunnel is being constructed in an ecologically-fragile area that has witnessed repeated landslides and mudslides, including three major landslips in recent years. They pointed out that the state expert appraisal committee had granted EC only after imposing stringent conditions because of the area’s vulnerability.

They alleged that state govt misled SEAC and MOEFCC by furnishing incorrect information to obtain EC. They demanded a detailed inquiry into how the clearance was obtained, the alleged haste in inaugurating the project and what they described as the previous LDF govt’s role in facilitating the project.