Govt comes down to earth on skywalks

Is the government going to call brakes on the growth of caterpillars in the city? In the assembly on Monday, chief minister Ashok Chavan said he was willing to review the increasingly unfeasible skywalks project. He said he had taken serious note of the complaints made by MLAs about the unwanted structures dotting the landscape.

“There were 61 skywalk proposals. Of these, 20 have been completed while three have been stayed following complaints by residents. The government has no problem in reviewing the remaining skywalks should there be complaints by residents or local elected representatives,” he said. “We don’t wish to push development proposals down people’s throats. We are willing to reconsider unfeasible proposals.”

He added, “The government doesn’t wish to spend funds on unwanted schemes.”

Launching a blistering attack on the government for its obsession for skywalks, leader of the Opposition Eknath Khadse of the Bharatiya Janata Party riled the Democratic Front government for starting skywalks when the state is reeling under astronomical debt.

“The government faces a debt of Rs2 lakh crore. Where is the need to start skywalks, here, there and everywhere?” Khadse asked, adding, “The funds could have been well utilised for providing drinking water to the parched rural heartland of Maharashtra.”