Amid a serious cash-crunch and the truncation of the key Bandra skywalk, BMC raises eyebrows with splashy announcement
The skywalk will join the Metro station located on the Western Express Highway in Borivli. File pic
While the BMC rejected the second arm for the Bandra flyover over a funds crunch, it is going to build a Rs 91-crore skywalk connecting the east side of Borivli station to the Metro station at WEH. With BMC facing a revenue crunch, the high cost of the skywalk has made corporators raise eyebrows. The Metro line 7 goes from Andheri East to Dahisar East. The designing and tendering of the skywalk started two years ago.
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The skywalk will connect a Metro 7 station on the Western Express Highway with Borivli station. File pic
While the estimated cost was Rs 70 crore, the lowest bidder pegged the cost at Rs 64 crore. Other components, including a 10 per cent alteration cost, Rs 25 lakh for transfer of utilities and water, sewerage taxes, increased the cost to Rs 91.31 crore. The deadline to complete the skywalk is three years, including the monsoon months.
The Bandra skywalk, which is slated to have just one arm due to cash crunch, would have cost around Rs 50 crore to have both its arms going to Kalanagar and Bandra court.
"Earlier the design was different and many shops would have been demolished for the construction. Now the BMC has changed the design. While the skywalk is necessary as it connects the Metro to the railway station, it is way too expensive," said Vidyarthi Singh, local BJP corporator.
BMC officials feel that the aesthetic value increases the cost of the skywalk. "Considering an upgraded Borivli station and the Metro station, we designed it keeping the aesthetic value of the area in mind. It will have escalators, too," said an officer from the Bridges department.
With the road being narrow, the skywalk will be built on pillars in the centre. The skywalk will cater to passengers of railway, Metro and ST buses and visitors of Sanjay Gandhi National Park.
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