20% work over,RMC scraps skywalk project

The political wing,led by Mayor Sandhya Vyas,Standing Committee chairman Kashyup Shukla and city BJP president Dhansukh Bhanderi,declared that the construction has been stalled and the structure built so far will be scrapped in a couple of days.

A senior Town Planning officer said that as per the agreement with the Ahmedabad-based Ken Infrastructure,the Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) will have to bear the expenses made on the project so far. “The exact amount will be known after Ken Infrastructure submits a report in this regard,” added the official.

Touted as a unique infrastructure project,state Urban Development Minister Nitin Patel had laid its foundation in November last year. The glass structure was to be constructed on a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) basis. The civic body had stopped the construction at Kotecha Chowk on Saturday following apprehensions that the structure might lead to severe traffic problems in the future by leaving no margin for parking and pedestrians.

Interestingly,the project was scrapped even before a four-member committee,formed last week could submit a feasibility report.

The panel was formed after residents and shopowners at Kotecha Chowk had launched a strong protest against the project.

Later,the opposition Congress also joined them,and even a couple of councillors from the ruling BJP questioned the feasibility of the site. The political wing came under pressure to halt the construction when a group of shopowners moved the Gujarat High Court seeking order to scarp the project.

The 112-foot long glass structure was to house a garden restaurant with 150 seats,a multi-purpose hall,and seven shops at a height of 42 feet. Through this,the RMC expected to earn Rs 51,000 per month.