Mumbai: 

Shaken and stirred: The tremors on the skywalk, say MMRDA officials is because of the passing trains at Bandra station a few metres away

For a city that has few interesting structures, the inauguration of the Bandra (E) skywalk, Mumbai's first, was a momentous event yesterday. It opens to the public tomorrow, but as there was nobody to stop access, hundreds of excited Mumbaikars made a beeline for it and walked the 1.3-km stretch on the swank Rs 13.63-crore skywalk that bridges Bandra and Kalanagar.

They came away shaken and stirred.

As did our reporter Sneha Shah. "I felt the bridge shake. It was similar to standing in a moving train, but obviously very scary. After a few minutes, my head began to spin."

Other commuters we spoke to had the same experience.

Santosh Date, who works with Suzlon Energy, had waited months to use the skywalk, but just one walk yesterday, did him in. "I don't think the bridge is safe and it can fall any time. I felt the bridge shaking when I walked from Kalanagar to Bandra station yesterday. If the problem is not solved, I will stop using it," Date said.

Another frightened user was Sangeeta Jadhav, a bank employee, "The authorities shouldn't have done the work in a hurry. It's a shoddy job. The foundation isn't firm, imagine if the bridge was shaking on day one, what will happen when thousands use it!" said Jadhav.

Alpana Mehta, who was waiting for the skywalk since months was however disappointed with it shaking. "I would prefer taking an autorickshaw or a bus to work than using the skywalk as I fear it is unsafe," Mehta, who works in BKC said.

Completely safe

However, MMRDA, which built the bridge, said the skywalk was completely safe. "It can hold 1,500 kg in one square meter – the equivalent of 80,000 people using the bridge at one go," said Ratnakar Gaikwad, Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA. "Yes, I did hear that skywalk shook, so I reconfirmed its stability status with structural engineers and they assured me there was nothing wrong with the skywalk. The tremors may be because of trains passing nearby."

Another official said that the depth of skywalk is 15 metres below the ground, which ensures stability. "There is no cause for concern even during peak hours. It is safe."

5
Months it took to build the skywalk

20,000
Number of users during rush hour