DyCM D K Shivakumar proposes 250-metre skydeck in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: A 250-metre skydeck is proposed to be built in Bengaluru to provide a panoramic view of the city.

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar reviewed the proposal and design of the skydeck submitted by Austria-based Coop Himmelb (l)au and World Design Organisation (WDO), Bengaluru.

If built, the skydeck will be the tallest such structure in the country.

The Bengaluru proposal is said to be inspired by the Shanghai Skydeck and will have room for commercial activities, accommodating a roller-coaster station, an exhibition, a sky lobby, a platform for providing a panoramic view of the city, bars and restaurants, shopping hubs, and a VIP enclosure.

The skydeck is expected to come up in Nagawara, Whitefield, and Ulsoor. It is also proposed to be a green structure, harnessing wind and solar energy.

The proposal, which Shivakumar tweeted on X (formerly Twitter), received applause and derision online. Some cheered the proposal, saying it will enhance ‘Brand Bengaluru’, while others called it quixotic and profligate.

Several users on X wondered whether one has to view potholes and garbage mounds from the skydeck.

“This is nice to look at. But the city’s biggest problem is traffic congestion. First, implement the suburban rail corridor. This will solve 30 per cent of traffic congestion in the city. We need clean air, water, and transport,” posted Kamalakar Pandit.

Applauding the proposal, Anikesh Gupta, another Bengalurean, posted, “Bengaluru needs this kind of tourist destination. This is a good project. It will give a new identity to Bengaluru.”

Shivakumar, who also holds the Bengaluru Development portfolio, has recently proposed to build a network of tunnels to solve the city’s traffic congestion problem.