Mumbai’s Rs 900 crore skywalks lie neglected, unsafe for commuters

Mumbairsquos skywalks mdash envisioned as safe and efficient pedestrian corridors mdash are increasingly failing to serve their purpose especially for women About 37 of them were built in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region in multiple phases including those at faroff places like Badlapur Ambarnath and Kalyan at a total cost of around Rs 900 croreThe Cotton Green skywalk which lacks illumination PICSHADAB KHANBut incomplete construction poor maintenance and lack of security have rendered many of these structures underutilised and in many cases unsafe Commuters especially women report issues ranging from nonfunctional escalators and broken lighting to the presence of antisocial elements in poorly lit stretchesWhile some sections remain usable during peak hours the absence of consistent monitoring accessibility features and basic upkeep raises serious concerns about their viability midday went on the ground to do a reality check of seven skywalks built at a cost of Rs 211 crore1 Grant RoadVoicesAvantika Biswas Nana Chowk residentlsquoI live in a secondstorey apartment which is on the same level as the skywalk Once when I was returning home late at night from Grant Road station I encountered drunk men lying on the skywalk It felt unsafe but there were a few other people so I didnrsquot panic and simply rushed home The skywalk canrsquot be called completely safersquoThe skywalk at Nana Chowk Grant Road PICSASHISH RAJEAn elderly residentlsquolsquoI had come to see the skywalk when it first opened but the escalators had stopped working a few days later We hoped that the authorities would fix this as soon as possible but the issue has persisted While 20 years ago I would have easily walked up the steps right now at the age of 68 it is not the best option hence I choose to use the road below the walkway insteadrsquoProblemsgtgt Dysfunctional escalatorsgtgt Riddled with cigarette butts and alcohol bottlesgtgt One lowhanging electrical boxgtgt Privacy boards not in placeContract cost in lakh Rs 5048Present statusPartly completedOriginal date of completion December 10 20092 Cotton GreenThe poorly lit Cotton Green skywalk PICSHADAB KHANVoicesRunali Kanjar residentlsquoI have been using the skywalk since its opening in 2010 Lights in the portion from the station entrance to the Gopal Mahadev Naik Chowk donrsquot work In the evenings the skywalk is completely dark and is full of drunks While that stretch is unsafe for everyone the portion from the station till the Kala Chowkie police station exit is well lit and is the most used section We do see bottles of alcohol lying around sometimes but they are picked up by BMC workers almost every two daysrdquoA young female residentlsquoI donrsquot use the skywalk unless it is morning Once it gets dark regardless of whether there are any drunk people around or not an almost 200metre unlit portion is unsafe for everyonersquoContract cost in lakh Rs 3777Present statusPartly completedOriginal date of completion October 28 20103 Santacruz EastThe eastern portion of the Santacruz skywalk PICSATEJ SHINDEVoicesIvan Pais Santacruz East residentlsquoMen drink and sleep there is no roof over a part of the skywalk There are no functional CCTV cameras and drug use and prostitution happen at night All of these could be avoided with CCTV monitoring and police patrolling The reason we have lights on the skywalk is that we complained multiple times All we need is the roof and patrolling to make this a safer spacersquoProblemsgtgt Majority of the light fixtures donrsquot workgtgt Used for illegal and antisocial activitiesgtgt Broken tiles and exposed concrete in some placesContract cost in lakh Rs 3777Present statusPartly completedOriginal date of completion October 28 20104Santacruz WestThe western side of the Santacruz skywalk PICSATEJ SHINDEVoicesAnna Tony Santacruz West residentlsquoThe part from SV Road to the entrance of the railway station is well lit and is always crowded hence it has never felt unsafe for me to use I have come late at night via train and used the skywalk as well There are some hawkers as well as people who sleep there at night but I have never felt unsafe on the skywalkrsquoProblemsgtgt Lack of roofgtgt Hawkersgtgt Antisocial elementsgtgt No security arrangementsContract cost in lakh Rs 256796Present statusCompletedOriginal date of completion May 13 20095 Ghatkopar WestA vagrant lies face down on the Ghatkopar West skywalk PICATUL KAMBLEVoicesNayana GondhalelsquoThings are fine during peak hours but itrsquos scary after 10 pm The hawkers are gone the footfall is lower than usual and there are homeless and drunk people lying around I usually call up friends or relatives while using the skywalk just in case as prevention is better than curersquoUrvaja SainilsquoItrsquos quite lonely to climb up the skywalk Only having sufficient illumination is not enough There are no emergency buttons or security personnel in case someone needs help No woman can ever think of walking through this skywalk all alone late at night Public infrastructure must be safe for the publicrsquoContract cost in lakh Rs 1393Present statusCompletedOriginal date of completion May 16 2009Unique struggleJayashree Jadhav a wheelchair user told midday ldquoThough a few skywalks have escalators none of them has lifts Even today no public infrastructure is built keeping us in mind Roads are potholed and infrastructure that is higher than ground level is not accessible at all6 Sion EastVoicesNandini KeluskarlsquoI have never seen this skywalk in use since it was built There isnrsquot any work that can be seen being done either This entire area feels unsafe for women as the skywalk is unusable and the road leading to the station is not appropriately illuminatedrsquoMuskan RathorelsquoIf the skywalk isnrsquot in use why are its entrances not shut Women donrsquot need to be attacked only if they climb up on their own What if someone is taken upstairs forcefully by someone intoxicated No one would ever learn about any untoward incident that can potentially happenrsquoProblemsgtgt Skywalk is basically unused gtgt Generally unsafe for womenContract cost in lakh Rs 2092Present statusIn progressOriginal date of completion February 23 20107 Borivli WestVoicesFalguni KetkarlsquoCan we even call it a skywalk for pedestrians It feels more like a shelter for the homeless Their fighting and antisocial activities make one reluctant to use the structure The lighting is insufficient Skywalks across the city must have security guardsrsquoAnjali RamchandranlsquoI have used this skywalk just once when returning from college a few years ago The darkness was terrifying Since then I havenrsquot used it at all and I also tell my loved ones to avoid it especially after dark Some portions feel more like a horror movie set On the road below you have to deal with crowds containing perverts who try to touch women inappropriatelyrsquoProblemsgtgt Poor lightinggtgt Antisocial elementsgtgt Lack of securityContract cost in lakh Rs 337382Present statusPartly completedOriginal date of completion May 9 2009Official SpeakAdditional Commissioner Projects Abhijit Bangar FILE PICSATEJ SHINDEAdditional Commissioner Projects Abhijit Bangar told midday that keeping the skywalks safe especially for women has been a challenge ldquoThere is no doubt that illumination is of utmost importance and we try to provide it and respond immediately to related complaints The biggest nuisance is antisocial elements and security personnel are needed Considering the BMCrsquos limited human resources and funds it has not been possible to appoint them The only possible solution so far is to give annual maintenance contracts to private players However there hasnrsquot been any positive outcome so far in this regardrdquo he saidThe official added ldquoSkywalks have been successful only at places with heavy footfall constructing them without any thought across the city is not the smart thing to do This needs to be kept in mind moving ahead We have realised that women prefer walking on crowded streets to using secluded skywalks Thus constructing proper footpaths with proper signalling facilities is the better option especially in places with low footfallrdquo