3rd skywalk at Mysuru Road a waste of money, say locals

The BBMP’s obsession over building random skywalks seems to continue, with one more being planned near the Gali Anjaneya temple at Mysuru Road.

Locals say the effort is a waste of the tax payer’s money since this would be the third skywalk to come up at Mysuru Road within a one-kilometre distance. They instead want a pedestrian crossing and a signal. Pillars for the skywalk have been erected on a stormwater drain that overflows during the rainy season.

“Pedestrian movement is rare in this area,” Sharjil Ahmed, a trader in Bapujinagar, told DH. “We are not sure who is going to use this. While a residential area and some commercial units exist across the road, there is only a temple on this side. Due to the traffic signal near the satellite town, pedestrians can cross the road easily (here). The BBMP has begun this project without a pre-study.”

Traders say the satellite bus station a few metres away requires a skywalk to link the two bus stations. “The pillars have been built on the drain,” pointed out Brunjesh, a local trader.

“Moreover, this road is less than 50 feet. So, it makes no sense to build a skywalk here. They are building a triangular skywalk just to make it appear bigger.”

Flower vendors say the civic body has not fixed the overflowing stormwater drains near the temple. One of the vendors, Shankarappa, said the BBMP has only undertaken temporary repairs.

“Let them first fix the drain,” Shankarappa said. “We’re not sure where exactly they would build the stairways. Without options, they would only build the stairway on the road, further congesting the place.”

BBMP officials defended the skywalk by saying the locals have a long-standing demand of making the place pedestrian-friendly.

“We have made sure all safety measures are in place during the construction. This is being built on the PPP model. The BBMP has just approved the project, which would benefit us in the form of advertisement. We are sure pedestrians would use this,” said M Srinivas, BBMP executive engineer, special division, road infrastructure.