Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government on Wednesday announced an investigation into the Meppadi disaster in Wayanad and said the future of the tunnel construction project would be decided only after a comprehensive assessment of the risks involved.

Addressing a press conference after the Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister VD Satheesan said the government had reviewed the reports received so far and decided to initiate both technical and legal action to examine the factors that led to the incident. 

Preliminary reports indicate that a landslip occurred directly above the section where tunnel construction was underway. In light of this, the government will also examine whether the contractor complied with the stringent environmental conditions imposed by the Centre while granting environmental clearance for the project.

Tunnel work to resume only after detailed assessment

The Chief Minister said construction work would continue only after experts assess all potential safety risks associated with the project.

He added that the ongoing works would resume only after the study is completed and the government is satisfied that the necessary safety measures are in place.

Satheesan said the government would carry out a detailed investigation not only into the circumstances that led to the disaster but also into whether the environmental conditions laid down by the Central government had been violated during the execution of the project.

He clarified that these were two separate issues and that independent investigations would be conducted into each.