Kolkata: KMC has decided to defer the inauguration of the Kalighat skywalk, which was initially scheduled to be thrown open before Kali Puja.
While mayor Firhad Hakim on Saturday blamed the construction firm for the delay in the project’s completion, sources said KMC was also keen on first rehabilitating the hawkers, who had been shifted to a makeshift market in Jatin Das Park, before the inauguration. “The firm took the job without realising the responsibility of such a prestigious project. Now we are in the final stage of completion but work will not be over before Kali Puja,” said Hakim. The new date for the commissioning of the walkway, which links SP Mukherjee Road with the Kalighat temple, has not yet been fixed.
A KMC official said while the skywalk’s superstructure was ready, they needed to first restore the road below and rehabilitate hawkers. “Our primary focus is to shift hawkers to the Kalighat Hawkers Market. Some hawkers, who did business on the pavement below the skywalk, also need to be rehabilitated. We will have to restore the roads damaged during the work,” said the official.
A KMC official said the construction had reached its final stage. “We finished the work of deck-casting, flooring and installation of lifts and escalators. Restoration of roads and pavements near the temple is finishing,” said an official.