1 month ago
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The Supreme Court connected Monday (April 6, 2026) decided not to interfere successful a situation raised by the Wayanad Prakrithi Samrakshana Samithi against the operation of a duplicate conduit passageway corridor heavy wrong the ecologically fragile Western Ghats portion successful Kerala, saying the task seems to beryllium of “national importance” successful a land-starved State riddled by bottlenecks connected roads and highways.
“We cognize the area. In Kerala, determination is simply a batch of congestion connected roads and highways. There is simply a regulation of onshore there… Tunnels are constructed passim the world,” Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, heading a Bench comprising Justice Joymalya Bagchi, observed orally.
The passageway intends to link Kozhikode territory with the Wayanad district, wherever a landslide successful 2024 destroyed an full villages registering 420 confirmed deaths and 118 radical inactive missing.
Senior advocator Shyam Divan, appearing for the petitioner-NGO which has appealed a Kerala High Court determination successful favour of the passageway project, said the High Court had veered distant from its ain standards of “heightened work and accountability”. There were patent flaws successful the High Court decision, Mr. Divan argued.
He submitted that projects envisaged successful the vicinity of critically protected areas and ecologically delicate zones indispensable beryllium accorded Category ‘A’ biology clearance and appraisal astatine the Central level. The elder advocator submitted that successful this lawsuit the task was adjacent the Nilgiri biosphere too successful a highly landslide-prone area. The interaction of blasting and vibrations not lone endangered the fragility ecology of the country but besides posed the sedate hazard of hundreds of people. He submitted that the State level was done “hurriedly” adjacent arsenic its Expert Appraisal Committee was nearing the extremity of tenure. Mr. Divan submitted that the support and biology clearance conditions imposed by the Central Expert Appraisal Committee was simply a cut-paste occupation without exertion of mind.
“The objection is not against the operation of a tunnel, but the contented is wherever it is coming up… It is being built successful a landslide prone country wherever 400 radical person died,” Mr. Divan submitted.
The Chief Justice said the Centre was a enactment successful the lawsuit earlier the High Court. The tribunal said experts and engineers would instrumentality attraction of the information aspects.
“God forbid if thing moves successful different direction, the High Court is vigilant… If determination is immoderate origin for alarm, you tin attack the National Green Tribunal also,” the tribunal said.
Disposing of the petition, the Supreme Court noted that the CEAC had accorded support to the task taxable to assorted information and structural conditions. More importantly, portion executing the project, the task proponent was obligated to meticulously comply with these conditions. The High Court had allowed the petitioners to attack the NGT successful the lawsuit immoderate information was deviated oregon not followed.
The 8.73-km-long duplicate conduit unidirectional passageway roadworthy (2+2 Lane) having a four-lane attack (from existing roads) was aimed astatine providing nonstop connectivity betwixt Anakkampoyil–Kalladi-Meppadi successful Kozhikode and Wayanad districts. The projected corridor was to beryllium situated astatine an mean altitude ranging from 700 to 2,061 metres supra the oversea level, passing done the biodiverse Western Ghats. It was besides situated successful adjacent proximity to Mundakkai and Chooralmala villages that were worst affected successful the 2024 landslide.
