Road widening of national highway stretch in Idukki to resume shortly

After a nearly year-long standstill, road widening on the 14.5-km Neriamangalam-Valara-Adimaly stretch of the Kochi-Dhanushkodi National Highway is expected to resume shortly. On Monday, an official team led by Land Revenue Commissioner K. Jeevan Babu inspected the area.

The inspection follows a directive from Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan to the Chief Secretary, ordering immediate steps to restart construction. Last week, Idukki MP Dean Kuriakose met with Mr. Satheesan to submit a memorandum demanding urgent action on the stretch. In addition, newly elected Idukki MLAs—F. Raja (Devikulam), Roy K. Paulose (Idukki), and Senapathy Venu (Udumbanchola)—had submitted letters to the Chief Minister echoing the demand.

District Collector Dineshan Cheruvatt, Devikulam Subcollector V.M. Arya, and Mr. Raja also joined the Land Revenue Commissioner during the site visit.

Rasak Chooravelil, general convenor of the National Highway Protection Council, expressed optimism about the project’s revival. “The road widening works were halted last year, but we now expect the new UDF government to take the issue seriously and take steps to resume construction,” Mr. Chooravelil said.

“The narrow road poses a severe threat to passengers and vehicles alike. Thousands of vehicles pass through this stretch every day, as it is the main road connecting to the world-famous tourism destination of Munnar,” he added.

Work on the stretch has been stalled since July 2025, following a Kerala High Court order restricting road widening and tree felling. The stay was issued in response to a petition filed by Idukki-based environmentalist M.N. Jayachandran.

The highway’s delayed construction was a major campaign issue during both the local body and Assembly polls in Idukki. The National Highway Protection Council had previously staged numerous protests demanding the resumption of work.