Kalpetta (Wayanad): Transportation to the Wayanad district was cut off for several hours on Wednesday following a landslide at Thamarassery Ghat Pass, leaving residents and travellers stranded. With the pass closed, vehicles were diverted through Kuttiady Pass, causing severe traffic congestion. Journeys between Kozhikode and Wayanad took several hours, and the disruption left many people unable to enter or leave the district.

Some goods vehicles that arrived on Tuesday night were able to pass through Kuttiady, but those arriving on Wednesday morning were stopped at Lakkidi, creating long queues of both small and large trucks. Many of these vehicles remained stranded even into Wednesday night. Ambulances carrying patients to Kozhikode Medical College were allowed to pass while debris, including stones, soil, and fallen trees, was cleared from the road. 

Bus services disrupted

The landslide at Thamarassery Ghat Pass also disrupted bus services. Both KSRTC and private buses from Kalpetta, Mananthavady, and Sultan Bathery depots were rerouted via Kuttiady Pass. The resulting congestion caused long-distance buses to arrive hours late, stranding passengers, including those waiting at the Kuttiady bus stand. Authorities contacted travellers with online reservations to inform them of the delays.

Two services from Kalpetta depot to Kozhikode were operated via Kuttiady, while other buses originally bound for Kozhikode ran only on the Lakkidi–Sultan Bathery and Lakkidi–Mananthavady routes. No services from Sultan Bathery depot to Kozhikode were available. Passenger demand determined services operating up to Lakkidi. From Mananthavady depot, 8 buses to Kozhikode ran via Kuttiady, while three services were cancelled. Officials reported that buses left in the morning returned only in the evening due to heavy traffic. By-route services to Kozhikode operated up to Lakkidi and then returned. Private buses to Kozhikode remained suspended.

Will there be any alternative routes?

Wayanad residents faced severe travel disruptions as traffic jams on Thamarassery Ghat Pass made even hospital visits difficult. Authorities and local officials revisited plans for alternative routes, including the Padinjarathara–Poozhithode road, Chippilithode–Maruthilavu–Talipuzha Road, and the airstrip, highlighting the urgent need for contingency routes in the district.

A situation where you can't even help

Many stranded passengers reported being unable to board buses from Kuttiady, waiting for hours without any transport options. Traffic congestion prevented private vehicles from reaching them, forcing some to pay high fares for taxis or other private transport. Officials acknowledged that a functional alternative route could have prevented such hardships, Anwar Sadat, Vengappally Gram Panchayat Member said.

An adventurous mission

An arduous operation was carried out on Wednesday to clear Thamarassery Ghat Pass after a landslide completely blocked the road. Authorities worked for hours to remove large rocks, soil, and fallen trees from the steep cliffs along the pass.

Excavators and earthmoving machines were deployed on top of the debris to clear the road, but moving heavy stones and logs and loading them onto tipper lorries proved difficult. Dense fog and intermittent rain hampered visibility and slowed progress, which took far longer than initially expected.

An expert team also climbed the cliff to assess the cause of the landslide and the risk of further collapses, using ropes to navigate the steep terrain. A drone was deployed to examine the full extent of the damage.

The Kalpetta Fire Department, along with volunteers from the Churam Green Brigade and Churam Protection Committee, assisted in removing debris. Work was carried out cautiously as loose rocks and soil posed an ongoing threat. At one point, operations were paused when a rock above the collapsed section appeared likely to fall. Another minor landslide occurred around 4 pm, further complicating the clearance effort.

Despite announcements that the pass was closed, numerous vehicles, including goods lorries, attempted to enter on Tuesday night and Wednesday. Police stopped all vehicles at Adivaram and Lakkidi. The resulting queue of lorries stretched from Adivaram town to the Grotto of Gethsemane area, with many waiting for hours before the road could be cleared.

A host of officials, including MLAs T Siddique and Linto Joseph, Wayanad Collector DR Meghashree, Kozhikode Deputy Collector Rekha, Wayanad Sub-Collector Atul Sagar, ADM K Devaki, District Police Chief Taposh Basumatary, District Panchayat President Samshad Marakkar, Thamarassery Tehsildar C Subair, Kalpetta Fire Station Officer Arjun, Kalpetta Range Forest Officer K Hashif, and several others, were present at the landslide site.

Fire brigade and forest department embark on a daring mission to clear the way

On Wednesday evening, the Fire and Forest Departments carried out a high-risk operation to clear the pass after soil and rocks began shifting again at the epicentre of the landslide. A team led by Kalpetta Station Officer Arjun K Krishnan and Kalpetta Range Officer K Hashif reached the site through the forest, descending on ropes to stabilise loose soil and stones before using an earthmoving machine to remove debris. The mission aimed to prevent further collapse and ensure the road could safely reopen.

The team made multiple inspections of the landslide area. They first visited at 9 pm Tuesday for a preliminary survey, returned Wednesday morning with experts, and again in the evening alongside the fire department for the high-risk operation. Additional personnel involved included RRT member Salim, Beat Forest Officer Anil Kumar, and Watcher Deeptish. Thermal drone surveillance was also conducted under the supervision of the Forest Department to monitor the site.

Traffic jam and heavy rain at Kuttiady Pass

Traffic was disrupted until early Wednesday morning as vehicles were diverted to the Kuttiady Pass following a landslide on the Thamarassery Ghat Pass. Congestion persisted from 10 pm Tuesday to 9 am Wednesday, with Thottilpalam police, Churam Help Desk volunteers, and Churam Protection Committee workers clearing stranded vehicles. Large vehicles, including KSRTC buses bound for Karnataka and Wayanad, were able to pass through the Kuttiady route. Although the major traffic jam eased by morning, intermittent congestion recurred around 8.30 am, including at Mele Poothampara.

Heavy rain since Wednesday morning has worsened conditions on the pass. Landslides at the fourth, eighth, and tenth bends in recent days remain unstable, with soil loosened by rainfall. Traffic was disrupted after a six-metre-high embankment fell at the tenth bend. Authorities warned that further collapses could damage nearby shops.

The Kuttiady Pass, a key route from Kozhikode, Vadakara, and Mysuru with no night travel ban, is heavily used and in poor condition. The road, from Poothampara to the eleventh bend, is riddled with potholes and lacks proper drainage, causing erosion and collapse during rain. On Wednesday morning, a pickup van lost control while descending the pass and collided with the rear of a KSRTC bus, injuring the driver, Ravullapalli, a native of Andhra Pradesh.