The ban on traffic on the Thamarassery Ghat Road following the recent landslip is likely to be lifted for cars and other light motor vehicles on Tuesday after a safety inspection by engineers of the Public Works Department’s national highway division. However, entry of heavy vehicles will be restricted for two more days. They will be diverted through the Kuttiyadi Ghat Road until the completion of the repair work. A PWD engineer said the damaged road would be ready for traffic within a week. He added that the widening work could be fast-tracked if the rain stayed away. The Forest Department has already allotted the required extent of land on the damaged stretch near Chippilithode to carry out the work. It was on Sunday that District Collector U.V. Jose issued orders banning traffic on the route following the landslip. Though the Collector’s order hit inter-district bus services, trips were conducted up to Chippilithode. Earlier, hurdles on the route following the monsoon downpour had been reviewed at a district-level meeting chaired by Transport Minister A.K. Saseendran. With the increase in traffic on the alternative route, various local action committees and political parties have demanded that the Kuttiyadi-Pakrathalam Ghat Road be widened. They complained that the mountain pass, used by majority of motorists as the best alternative road to Wayanad district, had been in a totally neglected state. A local body member from Kavilumpara said the tourist potential of the scenic route had remained untapped despite frequent requests by local communities and administrators. Though there were plans to carry out widening work covering 7 km on the narrow road, it was dropped midway, he added.

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