Locals have said that the infra is very close to their buildings and will enable people to look into their homes. The proposed skywalk will exit near the Western Express Highway, connecting to the Metro station
The work has been delayed by almost two months; the barricading is there, but nothing has been done after, say civic officials. Pics/Satej Shinde
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has planned a skywalk for smooth pedestrian connectivity at Malad (E). The project is aimed at connecting the Malad Metro station to the Malad railway station to make the route commuter-friendly in the near future. Civic officials though claim that the work is at a standstill due to opposition from locals as the latter fear their privacy may be adversely affected, a report stated in this paper.
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Locals have said that the infra is very close to their buildings and will enable people to look into their homes. The proposed skywalk will exit near the Western Express Highway, connecting to the Metro station.
An official has gone on record stating that the project has been halted because of opposition from locals. There are efforts being made to restart talks and arrive at some solution so that the stalled infra can restart, he has explained.
It is important that the wheels get rolling and there are talks between officials and local representatives so that the project can get off the ground. This way, money is being wasted and there is also a precious waste of time.
If view guards or cutters can help in guarding privacy, proper communication channels should be established so that locals know how their fears can be addressed and assuaged and the project can go on.
We need a give and take from both sides. The civic authorities especially have to win the trust of the people because we do witness a trust deficit between citizens and authorities and this is one big reason for projects to stay stalled.
Mature, logical exchanges and productive meetings on both sides should clear the way for good decisions and a win-win situation for all. We need teamwork and co-operation to untie this knot.