Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is planning to to inaugurate the Kalighat skywalk before Durga Puja. The state urban development and municipal affairs department on Wednesday released an additional Rs 2 crore for speedy completion of the project that has missed several deadlines. According to a KMC official, the additional fund will be utilized for rehabilitation of hawkers who were shifted to Hazra Park to facilitate the construction of the skywalk.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had in April visited Kalighat temple with city mayor Firhad Hakim to offer puja. She had said, “The Kalighat skywalk is likely to be completed in Aug.” The CM had also addressed the issue of hawker rehabilitation in the Kalighat temple complex, saying that this will be done once the work for the skywalk is completed.
The civic authorities had in Dec 2023 set a March 2024 deadline for the project. But it missed several deadlines, prompting the KMC to monitor its progress on a weekly basis.
According to sources in the KMC, the CM had stressed the need for early completion of the Kalighat skywalk. “Prodded by CM, the KMC engineering department had set a May deadline but this was unfeasible due to the Lok Sabha poll process. A July deadline was also not feasible considering the volume of work left. But after talking to the CM, the mayor has instructed us to wrap up the project by end of Aug. We are trying our best to wrap up construction by Aug and get the skywalk inaugurated before the festive season begins,” said a civic official.
TOI visited the site on Wednesday and found the construction work nearing its final stage. The casting of the deck on the girders is complete and installation of elevators and escalators will be taken up. Flooring on the superstructure and the installation of the canopy remain. “We will also need to restore and relay roads and pavements adjoining the Kalighat temple complex that have been damaged due to the skywalk project,” said a KMC official.
Kali Temple Road, Sadananda Road and Gurupada Halder Road are among the roads that will be reconstructed.
In Dec 2023, the state had approved the release of Rs 5.3 crore for the reconstruction of roads and pavements. The state has sanctioned Rs 82.6 crore for construction work relating to the skywalk.