The Environment Ministry has given its approval, with some rules, for a plan to build a four-lane tunnel road between Kozhikode and Wayanad. A group of experts from the Ministry looked at the plan in May and said the Anakkampoyil-Kalladi-Meppadi tunnel project can go ahead, but only if they strictly follow environmental guidelines.

Before this, a state-level expert group had already approved the project in March. An MLA named Linto Joseph said, "With the central government's official approval, the project can now move forward to signing contracts." The construction will be handled by the Public Works Department (PWD), Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB), and Konkan Railway together. The job has been given to Dilip Buildcon from Bhopal and Royal Infrastructure from Kolkata after a bidding process.
The whole project is expected to cost Rs 2,134 crore. The tunnel will be 8.11 kilometers long and will need about 17.263 hectares of forest land. It will have modern safety features like tunnel ventilation, fire extinguishers, special radio systems for the tunnel, CCTV cameras, emergency call points, and paths to cross every 300 meters. There will also be a system to detect tall vehicles and stop them from entering the tunnel.

The central government has set 60 rules to protect nature and make sure the ground stays stable.

This area is sensitive for nature and is home to several rare animals, including a bird called the Banasura laughingthrush.
 

The state's expert group has also asked for strong efforts to protect nature and suggested that the government create an elephant pathway called Appankappu. Because this area is prone to landslides, the central expert group has stressed the need for detailed studies on the land and landslides.