Kerala Minister for PWD and Tourism, PA Muhammad Riyas Tuesday said that the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) has sanctioned Rs 2,134.50 crore for constructing a tunnel connecting Kozhikode and Wayanad districts.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had announced the project in 2020.

The proposed 8-km Anakampoil-Kalladi-Meppadi Tunnel Road had been announced as an alternative to the time-consuming hike along the mountain pass.

If it materialises, the Anakampoil-Kalladi-Meppadi route will be the longest tunnel road in Kerala and the third-longest in the country.

The alignment prepared by Konkan Railway has reportedly been approved by the public works department. As per that, a 70m bridge and connected road will be built at Maripuzha.

A 6.8km stretch of the tunnel will have to be built from Swargamkunnu to Kalladi in Wayanad. Further, the Kallady Road will be widened.

The project, soon after its announcement, had been attacked by environmentalists, who then claimed it as a poll gimmick.

The Wayanad Prakruthi Samrakshana Samithi, a prominent environment protection body in Kerala had alleged a conspiracy.

According to the Samithi, a tunnel through the hilly terrain that is part of the Western Ghats would destabilise the ecosystem.