The Supreme Court Monday refused to interfere with the Kerala High Court order rejecting the challenge to the Environment Clearance (EC) to the twin-tunnel project through the Western Ghats linking Wayanad and Kozhikode districts in the state.A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said the project is of national importance and that the clearance has adequate safeguards, which, if implemented effectively, will ensure the project’s safety. The bench added that, in the event of any violation of the conditions, the petitioners can approach the National Green Tribunal (NGT).“We find…from…the impugned judgment of the High Court and the report of the Central Expert Appraisal Committee that the approval was accorded to the project subject to various conditions. What is more important is that, while executing the project, the project proponent must meticulously comply with the conditions,” the bench said.“The High Court rightly felt that if any condition is not followed, in that event, the petitioners can approach the National Green Tribunal, as such a violation can amount to accrual of a fresh cause of action. In view of the liberty granted by the High Court, we see no reason to interfere with the judgment of the High Court. The petitioners will be at liberty to approach the NGT during the execution of the project, if so needed, in terms of the liberty granted by the High Court,” it added.‘Will become a lifeline for people’Appearing for the appellant, the original petitioner before the Kerala High Court, Wayanad Prakrithi Samnrakshana Samithi, Senior Advocate Shyam Divan said the area where the project is being undertaken is prone to landslides, the latest of which was in 2024 and killed hundreds of people besides causing other destruction.Divan contended that the environmental impact assessment of the project ought to have been undertaken at the central level, rather than at the state level.However, the bench noted that experts had examined it.Divan argued that the high court’s findings were not correct. “The High Court has merely said that these are technical matters. Then at least, the technical procedure must be followed. That has not been done. If the law prescribes that something has to be done in a particular manner, then it has to be done in that manner only,” he contended.Story continues below this adCJI Surya Kant, however, pointed to Kerala’s land limitations. “Precautions have been taken. It is, after all, a project of national importance. See the kind of congestion on road and highways. Because the state has its own limitations in terms of available land, and therefore they are going for a tunnel,” he remarked.Divan said the appellant is not against tunnels, “but it is in an ecologically sensitive area, landslide-prone, where hundreds of people have died.”CJI said, “Scientists and engineers will take care of that. They are in the field, they know everything. They are the actual decision makers. If the project is executed without any hurdles, it will become the lifeline for the people. The tunnel system is the best way to protect wildlife. Look at the hardship faced by the people in the area.”“It is not a case where any mechanical decision has been taken. The conditions are very rigorous. Once you follow all these steps, we see no reason this project could have any adverse impact. The only thing is that someone will have to monitor compliance. For that, you have an entire bench (NGT) in the nearby area,” CJI Kant added.Story continues below this adThe 7-km tunnel, described as the third-longest in the country, is part of an 8-km road project that cuts through the sensitive forests and hills of the Western Ghats. It will connect Maripuzha in Thiruvambady village panchayat (Kozhikode) with Kalladi in Meppadi panchayat (Wayanad).At present, the Wayanad plateau is connected to the rest of Kerala by four roads, all of which pass through hilly terrain. The longest among them is the 13-km Thamarassery Ghat Road on the Kozhikode–Mysuru National Highway 766. © The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Wayanad