RAIPUR: Conceived as an engineering leap to ease foot traffic across the bustling core of Chhattisgarh’s capital, Raipur’s ambitious skywalk has instead created an urban headache, commuters lament.
After languishing for nearly eight years as an abandoned skeleton in the heart of the city, the Vishnu Deo Sai-led BJP government breathed fresh life into the stalled project with a ₹37.75-crore completion package.
Yet, months past its scheduled delivery timeline, the elevated pedestrian corridor remains over 30% incomplete—wreaking havoc on surface transit, shrinking major thoroughfares, and triggering fresh safety alarms.
The skywalk’s troubled origins trace back to 2017 during the third term of the Raman Singh-led BJP administration. Initially sanctioned at approximately ₹48 crore (later pegged at an administrative cost of ₹77.10 crore due to expansions and modifications), the elevated pathway was designed to run nearly 1.5 km.
Its mission: isolate over 40,000 pedestrians who cross Shastri Chowk and Ambedkar Hospital daily from the swirling chaos of traffic connecting Jaistambh Chowk and the central railway hub.
By 2019, over 70% of the superstructure stood erect, officials claimed. Then came the change of guard in the state.
The incoming Congress government branded the massive steel canopy an unscientific eyesore and a "symbol of corruption," freezing construction amid allegations of tender irregularities, inflated costs, and structural design flaws.
As the project gathered dust, files moved to the desks of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and the Economic Offences Wing (EOW). For eight years, motorists negotiated around rusted, exposed iron pillars while foot travelers fought for survival on the blacktop below.
In mid-2024, the ruling BJP regime reversed course, to revive the corridor strictly according to its original blueprint. The Public Works Department (PWD) awarded the remaining execution tender to PSA Construction Private Limited with a targeted completion deadline set between March and April 20, 2026.
The sanctioned tender of ₹37.75 crore pushed the total outlay north of ₹87 crore once past expenditures are factored in.
Despite the government's renewed push, the situation on the ground tells a distressing story of chronic delays and pedestrian hazards. What was pitched as a modern pedestrian haven continues to choke the Raipur’s key roads.