Kerala’s Leader of the Opposition, Pinarayi Vijayan, criticized Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan for questioning the environmental clearance of the Wayanad tunnel road project. Vijayan defended the approval process, emphasizing its transparency and legal validation by both state and Central governments.
Vijayan highlighted that the Kerala High Court and later the Supreme Court upheld the validity of the environmental clearance, dismissing any doubts raised by the Chief Minister. He urged ministers to be accountable for any project-related lapses instead of shifting blame onto others.
The tragic mudslide incident at Kalladi, which claimed six lives with two individuals still missing, has raised concerns about the handling of infrastructure projects in environmentally sensitive areas. Vijayan expressed the importance of the tunnel road project for Wayanad’s development despite the recent disaster.
Rescue operations at the site continued amid challenging weather conditions and unstable terrain. Vijayan also raised issues regarding the conditions of relief camp inmates and pledged the opposition’s support for rescue, relief, and rehabilitation efforts in the aftermath of the disaster.
