GHMC picks up sky-walk project, after HMR walks out

​Hyderabad: It is a case of too much on its plate. The Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL) saddled with the slow pace of work has backed out of the constructing the 1-km sky-walk between Rathifile bus stop and Gurudwara at Secunderabad.

The sky-walk would now be constructed by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). The project would be taken up in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode. The civic body officials said that the proposed project would also have vending zones.

The proposed sky-walk project which passes from Ganesh temple, Secunderabad railway station, Alpha Cafe and Gurudwara would have eight exit points (four on either side).

The width would be five metres in which two metres would be earmarked for street vendors. The estimated cost of the sky-way is Rs 10 crore. Tenders would be called for shortly said GHMC officials.

In order to ease congestion, the civic body is planning to take up the proposed project. The stretch between Secunderabad and Rathifile bus stand records more footfall than any other bus station, said a senior official of GHMC.

“People from all corners of the city have to board trains at the Secunderabad railway station which results in congestion,” he said.

The civic body officials earlier searched for alternative plans like road widening but with little space available they were left with no option but to construct the sky-walk.

The GHMC official further said that the pedestrian movement between Rathifile bus stop and Gurudwara has reached a record high. As many as 10,000 pedestrians walk in between these two stretches at any given point of time.

In order to make sky-walk project self-sustainable, the corporation has decided to have vending zones.
The civic body is planning to construct five more sky-walks to ease the pedestrian congestion at prime areas in the city.