Dismantle skywalk escalator, demand Nana Chowk citizens

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is in a quandary on whether to give in to the demands of the residents to dismantle the escalators leading up to the skywalk, and a portion of the skywalk itself, in the Nana Chowk area at Grant Road, or persist with them as suggested by the local corporator. Set up at a cost of Rs 43 crore in 2014, the skywalk is lying largely unused.

The huge oval-shaped skywalk has four exits at Nana Chowk, of which only two are used by commuters – the one at Grant Road railway station, and another towards the BMC’s D ward office— and that too only during peak hours. The two escalators for the skywalk are hardly operational. Local residents and shopkeepers said they don’t remember when they last saw the escalators operational.

The residents of the five-storey Ishwardas Mansion, in front of which an escalator is located, say they are suffering because they have had to forego a proper entrance to their building. A medical store which is completely hidden behind the same escalator is literally forced to put a sign on the escalator stating ‘medical store behind escalator’.

Ketki Shah, a resident of Ishwardas Mansion said, “The fire brigade is just opposite to our building premises. However, if there is a fire in the building, it will be difficult to carry out a rescue operation.”

However, local corporator, Minal Patel (BJP) said, “The skywalk should not have been built so big in the first place, having so many exits. But now as authorities have already built it spending so much money, it should be operated and maintained properly.”