On Thursday, the longer 260m stretch of the walkway from Sion station to Sion Circle was opened to pedestrians.
While plans for several skywalks were cancelled following opposition from residents, Sion’s schools and housing societies petitioned Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) for one.
On Thursday, the longer 260m stretch of the walkway from Sion station to Sion Circle was opened to pedestrians. Soon after the inauguration by father Carlos Dias, principal of Our Lady of Good Counsel (OLGC) high school, the skywalk was filled with schoolchildren. The shorter 60m section that will cross the road outside the station will be completed in a month.
The presence of seven schools with more than 15,000 students was one of the reasons why the residents demanded a skywalk. A year-and-half ago, the Parents Teachers Association of the OLGC high school had a meeting and collected 300 signatures in support of a skywalk. The Sion Welfare Association representing residents of the area also collected signatures from housing societies. The petitions were then submitted to the MMRDA, which is building the city’s skywalks.
The Rs6-crore skywalk runs from the railway station up to the two underpasses at Sion Circle on Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Road. “Sion station is a major interchange where traffic from the Western and Central suburbs meets. Apart from the 15,000 schoolchildren, there is a lot of commuter traffic,” said Jaywant Dhane of MMRDA.
At least 50,000 people will use the skywalk every day, he said.
“The road junction is congested,” Jos D’Souza of the alumni association of OLGC said. “Pedestrians, especially children and senior citizens, find it difficult to cross the road. There was a plan for a foot over bridge across the road opposite the station, but that was not built. We have suggested two more landings on the skywalk. But the stairs are comfortable.”
But other residents who petitioned the MMRDA for the skywalk are not happy. “It starts at least 50 metres from the station and one has to negotiate the footpath crowded with hawkers before reaching the stairs. There were also plans to take it in the other direction towards Dharavi,” Manish Sheth of Sion Welfare Association said.
The MMRDA initially proposed 20 skywalks; the number was later increased to 67 and again reduced to 58 before it was finally settled at 36. Of these, 30 are now complete and the rest is expected to be ready in a few months.
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