Wayanad (Kerala)

An expert committee has been appointed to study the feasibility of a tunnel as an alternative to the Bandipur forest route to solve the night travel ban, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has informed Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

The Union Road Transport Minister also informed the MP from Wayanad that Rs 105 crore has been approved from the Central Road Infrastructure Fund (CRIF) for four road development projects in her constituency, a statement issued by the Congress said.

The Union minister informed Priyanka about these developments in a letter as she had raised these issues before him in writing in October last year and later in a meeting last month, it said.

The minister also informed her that an expert committee consisting of retired Additional Director General RK Pandey and Palakkad IIT Associate Professor Dr Divya PV had submitted the recommendations for the urgent and long-term actions to deal with the ongoing landslides in the Thamarassery Pass and directions in respect of that have been issued to the state Public Works Department, the statement said.

A consultant from the Union Road Transport Ministry has been appointed to monitor the four road development projects, the minister said according to the statement.

ALSO READ: I received my wages for hard work of decades: Ghafruddin on Padma Shri

Besides these, the minister also informed in the letter that the contract for the development of hairpin bends of the Thamarassery pass has been awarded and the work is expected to be completed in the month of February 2027, it said.

In response to the issue raised by Priyanka regarding the danger points on Thamarassery pass and National Highway 766, the minister mentioned in the letter that it has been handed over to the National Highways Authority to coordinate the activities in a timely manner for solving the danger points and preparing a detailed plan document for the pass, the statement said.