Mumbai skywalk audit: Dahisar walkway is the definition of dilapidated

Six years on, floor collapsed, leading to partial closure - that's the latest on the Dahisar skywalk. That said, its condition overall doesn't need to be explained further, as it is plagued by the same problems its counterparts are. Opened in 2011, the 850-metre-long skywalk in Dahisar West provides east-west connectivity, linking to the sole foot overbridge (FOB) at the station. And despite its crumbling condition, people have been using it, only because the station itself barely has any infrastructure.

The closed section of the Dahisar skywalk where the floor caved in earlier this year

Falling apart
"The skywalk has been preferred by pedestrians since it opened, as the railway station does not have adequate number of FOBs. There's just the one, besides two subways. Most avoid the subways as they are completely dark and dirty," said Ramesh Solanki, a regular commuter.

A liability with defects
The skywalk has been in the news since it opened - it developed cracks in 2012, just a year after it was finished, and earlier this year, a major chunk of its floor gave away, injuring a senior citizen and leading to one of its portions in the west being closed for public; however, so far, the authorities haven't bothered to carry out repairs wherever needed.

Locals say the structure is severely damaged and shakes when someone walks on it

When the cracks had first appeared in 2012, they were so big that people's feet would get caught in them. This happened during the defect liability period, when the MMRDA was maintaining it. The agency promised to fix it but hasn't till date. When mid-day paid a visit, we saw that in many locations the skywalk was falling apart with damaged tiles, loose railings and connections to bridges and staircases broken.

"The staircases are damaged with tiles coming out in several places. At one entrance, the last few steps are missing, leading to problems for senior citizens like me," said Mahalaxmi Iyer, a local.

850m
Length of the skywalk

Rs 15cr
Cost at which it was built

2011
Year it was opened for public

2012
Year the first cracks appeared

2017
Year a portion of its floor collapsed