Hindustan Times 16.11.2010
No escalators on skywalks: MMRDAFor those waiting to hop on the escalators at skywalks across the city, here’s some bad news. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has now realised that there is no space to install the escalators. “Escalators need a sizeable area and it is not possible to construct them on these skywalks,” metropolitan commissioner, Ratnakar Gaikwad said.
For convenience of the commuters, the development authority had earlier planned to install the mechanised stairs on all skywalks through the advertising revenue that would be generated.
The MMRDA had made the claims while starting the skywalk project.
The escalators were supposed to have come up on the 36 skywalks that the authority was constructing at a cost of Rs 607.21 crore.
The MMRDA was hoping to get them built through private ad contractors who were to get advertising rights on the skywalks. However, its proposal to sell ad space on skywalks has met with failure with no response from advertising agencies.
The MMRDA now claims that the only skywalk with an escalator will be the Kandivli (East) skywalk.
The MMRDA’s skywalk proposal has faced flak from various quarters with people claiming that pedestrians don’t use the monolithic structures.
A recent study conducted by the Mumbai Transformation Support Unity said only 4,000 pedestrians use the Bandra (East) skywalk, which was the first one to be built in the city.
