Urban News

The fate of the ambitious Rs 3-crore skywalk project of the Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) is in the doldrums, as after completion of nearly 20 per cent work, the site has been put under the scanner.

The civic body stopped the construction at Kotecha circle on Saturday following apprehensions that the structure might lead to severe traffic problems in future.

The RMC standing committee has now set up a four-member team, led by chairman Kashyup Shukla, to prepare a feasibility report. “Committee members will visit the site on Wednesday and then take a decision,” Shukla said.

This comes after widespread complaints from residents and shopowners around the Kotecha chowk. Later, the opposition Congress also joined the protest. Last week, a couple of councillors from the ruling BJP had also questioned feasibility of the site.

They say there is no need for a skywalk just to connect two ends of the Kalawad Road from the Kotecha School-end to Nimala Convent road-end even as Kotecha Chowk is a junction of five roads — Kalwad, University, Nirmala Convent, Saurashtra High School and Nutannagar.

Their second major concern is traffic chaos, as parking is already a problem on the Kalawad Road. They say the project with a garden restaurant having 150 seats, a multi-purpose hall with a capacity of 50 people and seven shops does not offer a separate parking lot.

“It’s coming up at a completely wrong place.

We have been pointing out the problems at each stage,” said RMC Leader of the Opposition Narenadar Jadeja, adding, “The project must be scrapped.”

Aimed to ease traffic problems on the busiest Kalawad Road in the city, the skywalk, if it gets clearance, will be 42 feet high, 112 feet long, and 22 feet wide. It will have four capsule lifts on each side.

It’s a build-operate-transfer (BOT) project given to Ahmedbad-based Ken Infrastructure. Through the skywalk project, the RMC expects to earn Rs 51,000 every month.