Bengaluru skywalks: Should BBMP prioritise fixing them instead of building them ?

Multiple issues from poor maintenance, malfunctioning or absent lifts, inadequate lighting, and steep stairs that pose challenges, especially for individuals with disabilities plague the city's skywalks.

Bengaluru: The BBMP’s plan to construct 11 additional skywalks (foot overbridges) across the city may not receive a warm reception from Bengalureans. A reality check conducted by DH on several existing skywalks, which were installed by the BBMP in various parts of the city, revealed multiple issues: poor maintenance, malfunctioning or absent lifts, inadequate lighting, and steep stairs that pose challenges, especially for individuals with disabilities.

Sophia High School junction

The L-shaped skywalk on Palace Road, near Sophia High School junction, has no elevators. There are educational institutions, restaurants and offices in the vicinity. 

“This a major inconvenience to the old and the disabled,” said Gunjan Kumar, a frequent user of the skywalk. The lack of elevators is a deterrent to pedestrians from using them and prompting them to jaywalk across the roads instead.

KG Road

The skywalk on KG Road, connecting Mysore Bank to the court complexes, has functional lifts, but users complain of frequent power outages. The surroundings are marred by unsanitary conditions, with people urinating on the walls and an unpleasant stench pervading the area. The worn-out roof and scattered garbage, including beer bottles, further deter pedestrians.

Empty liquor bottles are scattered along the pedestrian skywalk on KG Road. 

Umesh, a silk vendor, who frequents this place thrice a week, told DH, “Women and older people hesitate to take the skywalk because of its poor state. They would rather wait and cross the road, which is otherwise a busy stretch. This has been so bad for the last couple of years and nobody has bothered to make it neat for the public to use. It is hell when it rains, water seeps through the roof.”

Hebbal skywalk

The skywalk at Dairy Farm bus stop in Hebbal connecting four roads has three flights of stairs and no elevators. Paan stains and litter remain uncleared for days, leaving pedestrians wondering whether using the skywalk is worth the trouble of climbing the stairs.

Paan stains deface walls in Hebbal’s skywalk. 

“It’s a long skywalk and half of it is covered by hoardings. Cameras should be installed for safety and to prevent any sort of crime,” said Shama T, a college student who regularly uses the skywalk. 

The other skywalk at the Hebbal police station has two non-functional elevators, sporting an ‘under maintenance’ notice. The skywalk at Mehkri Circle stretching across two roads, has two elevators but one of them is inoperative. Each elevator can accommodate 16 people.

Jayanagar

The L-shaped skywalk in Jayanagar 3rd block connecting two roads has three elevators that can accommodate up to 8 people each. It is supervised by a security staffer from 7:30 am to 7.30 pm. “The field officer assigned me here because couples misuse the elevators or people even urinate in here. There are no public toilets or drinking water facilities for up to a km from here”, said Raja (change name), the security staffer. It was built in 2017 at an esitimated cost of about Rs 4 crore.

Palike to do away with PPP model

A senior BBMP official told DH that BBMP had taken up a large number of (skywalks) on the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model and that was on a 30-year- lease period. “But thanks to poor maintenance by the private agencies we have now decided to change that and are bringing in a new time period in which you have to hand over the skywalk after the bidding parameter’s number of years not 30 years as fixed earlier. The private agencies just made their money and did nothing for the upkeep of these skywalks” a senior official with BBMP told DH .  The official further explained that they will now take up those skywalks that should be constructed and maintained using BBMP funds. “If at all there are advertisement rights we will make money from those advertisements and use it for the upkeep of the skywalk. Earlier the 30-year time period was our PPP model; we are paying the price for it now. We aren’t taking up that model now. We are now saying commensurate with the investment and location each place will have dynamic returns that we have to assess.” The official said that the existing skywalks’ maintenance will be taken up by the BBMP and do away with the maintenance linked to the PPP model. 

11 new projects

The locations for the proposed skywalks are Tank Bund Road Chowdeshwari underpass Kaikondrahalli Junction RMC Yard on Tumkur Road NCC Apartment on Outer Ring Road Bagmane Tech park on ORR Hoodi Junction Old Madras road (near GRT Jewellers) Carlton Tower (Old Airport Road) BHEL on Mysore road and Sarjapur road (near Krupanidhi College). Given most of these roads are major corridors with high traffic the BBMP believes the skywalk will provide safe crossing for pedestrians. In reality walkers especially children and senior citizens struggle to climb the mammoth steps of skywalks as the lift or elevators of most skywalks do not function.