Filed Under · Unofficial
Skywalks to Nowhere
Staircases that commit fully to the journey, not the destination. Panoramic views of the traffic you could have walked through faster.
Ranked by Notoriety
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Kottayam Skywalk (Sky Path): 14 Pillars and Nothing More
A foundation stone was laid in 2016 for a pedestrian sky path over Kottayam's busy Seematti roundabout, and only 14 iron pillars were erected before funding from a change of government stopped work. In 2024 the Transport Minister confirmed an IIT Palakkad study had found the structure "not scientifically sound" with inadequate foundations, and that the private land it needed could never be legally acquired.
Bandra Skywalk (East & West)
Mumbai's first skywalk linked Bandra station to Kalanagar and was briefly used by over 100,000 pedestrians daily, but the Bandra East and West skywalks were later dismantled; 17 of 18 further planned MSRDC skywalks were cancelled.
Naya Raipur Skywalk
A skywalk built as a "modern urban amenity" in India's purpose-built new capital stands completed but essentially unused, towering over empty streets; local reporting describes it as a hangout for miscreants and a safety hazard for women, emblematic of the planned city's broader underuse.
Paltan Bazar Foot Overbridge: Guwahati's 10th, Widely Called Wasteful
Built by Assam PWD as Guwahati's 10th foot overbridge, the Paltan Bazar structure was flagged by local media and residents as poorly planned and of doubtful utility even before its scheduled inauguration. Critics questioned why a costly overbridge was needed at this specific junction given actual pedestrian movement patterns.
Mehdipatnam Skywalk
A 390-metre pedestrian skywalk with 13 elevators and five entry/exit points meant to serve roughly 50,000 daily pedestrians has remained under construction for over five years, with an HMDA officer's June 2024 promise of "completion by the end of the month" still unmet as of April 2026. Citizens have separately criticised its design for low clearance forcing pedestrians to crouch, poorly placed pillars, and traffic-jam-inducing barrier blocks near the busy junction.
Mangaluru Town Hall Skywalk (shelved)
A pedestrian skywalk was proposed and its foundation laid near Town Hall to address a pedestrian-accident hotspot, but the project languished for roughly three years before being quietly shelved in favour of a ₹6 crore underpass instead.
Dahisar Skywalk
Built by MMRDA in 2010 and handed to BMC in 2015, a portion of this 850-metre skywalk collapsed in 2016, forcing its complete closure to pedestrians. A structural audit by VJTI initially recommended repairs, but a later consultant's report recommended full reconstruction instead, leaving the structure shut for years while a rebuild languished in tendering.
Kharghar Skywalk
A section of the pedestrian skywalk connecting Kharghar station to surrounding sectors has been taken over as an illegal parking zone for vehicles, with commuters saying the public infrastructure meant for pedestrians is being completely misused while hawkers already choke the station entrance.
Kalighat Skywalk: Four-Year Construction Delay
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation began building a "mega" skywalk to Kalighat Temple in 2021, displacing hawkers from the temple approach road and temporarily relocating around 195 traders to makeshift units at Jatin Das Park. Traders were told they would return to permanent stalls within 18 months, but the project dragged on for four years before keys to the new multi-storey market building were finally handed over on March 27, 2025.