New Delhi, June 2 -- A controversial Rs 2,043-crore twin-tunnel road project in Kerala, designed to cut travel time between Kozhikode and Wayanad districts, faces a looming legal challenge. Conservationists claim that the state government secured environmental clearance by concealing crucial ecological and geological facts.

The Wayanad Prakrithi Samrakshana Samithi (WPSS), a local environmental group, said it would soon approach the Kerala High Court. The group alleged that the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) was misled when it approved the project in mid-May, subject to over 60 conditions.

The tunnel, stretching 8.75 kilometres between Anakkampoyil in Kozhikode...