Kozhikode: Perambra residents can finally breathe a sigh of relief as chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the bypass on Kozhikode-Kannur state highway 38.

The Public Works Minister, PA Mohamed Riyas presided over the ceremony. The project will help motorists avoid Perambra city. The Perambrea city has been a major bottleneck for years. It will also reduce traffic congestion in the city.

The construction of the 2.73 km bypass road, from Kallode to Kakkad, was inaugurated on February 14, 2021, and the project was carried out by Uralungal Labor Contract Cooperative Society, under the supervision of Kerala Roads and Bridges Corporation.

Initially approved in 2008 with an administrative sanction of Rs 11 crores, the original plan was to construct a road at a distance of 3.2 km. However, opposition arose from those who would have lost their homes and land due to the alignment. The High Court ordered that the bypass should only be constructed after studying the alternatives, leading to a new plan being prepared at a shorter distance.

Despite 30 crores being allocated in two state budgets, the project was delayed. MLA TP Ramakrishnan took the initiative to include the project in the KIIFB. Issues with acquiring the land under the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act, 2008, also delayed the project. The road is 12 metre wide.