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Wayanad-Nilambur road: Survey of forestland begins

Malappuram: In a major fillip to the proposed road connecting Wayanad with Nilambur region of the district, public works department (PWD) and forest authorities have on Tuesday started a joint survey for the road in forest areas.

Though the construction of multi-crore hill highway connecting Kasaragod with Thiruvananthapuram was formally inaugurated by PWD minister G Sudhakaran in Kasaragod four months ago, there was no major step from the government to make the eight-kilometre long hill highway stretch connecting Nilambur with Meppadi in Wayanad a reality.

The delay in carrying out a joint survey to demarcate the forestland was the major hurdle before the missing link of road between Malappuram and Wayanad.

The preliminary survey, which began on Tuesday, was to fix the alignment of the seven-kilometre road through forestland and one-kilometre road through Munderi farm region. The detailed project report would be prepared after the completion of the survey.

The proposed highway passes through Malappuram as two parallel stretches connecting hilly regions of Nilambur areas with Kozhikode and Wayanad. The first stretch which connects Wayanad with Malappuram will pass through Aranappuzha (Wayanad boarder area), Munderi, Palunda, Pothukallu, Edakkara,Moothedam, Pookottumpadam and Karuvarakkund (Palakkad Boarder area). The second stretch will connect Pookkottumpadam in Malappuram with Kakkadampoil in Kozhikode.

The KIIFB director board had allotted Rs 109 crore for the first stretch from Munderi to Pookkottumpadam, and the revised detailed project report for the road development works along this stretch was submitted to Kerala road fund board (KRFB).

The technical sanction for the works of the longest stretch of the highway is expected to be received within weeks.

But the allotment of fund and administrative sanction for the construction of road between Munderi and Aranappuzha is facing a major hurdle as the road has to be constructed through forestland. Though the minister had assured a year ago that PWD would soon start the process to get forest department’s sanction for the road construction through forestland, the delay in forest survey hit the plan.

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