In pics: Check out Kolkata’s newly-inaugurated Dakshineswar Skywalk
Designed by architectural firm DFI, which also lent its expertise to ITO skywalk in Delhi, the skywalk will relocate over 200 shops that are currently operating on the Rani Rashmoni Road
The Dakshineswar Skywalk in Kolkata is 380 meters long and 10.5 meters wide. It connects the Dakshineswar railway station to the Dakshineswar Kali Temple
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The skywalk creates a connection between the traffic rotary and the entrance gates of the Dakshineswar Kali Temple compound with a provision for 14 escalators, four elevators and eight staircases to allow devotees and users to embark and disembark
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Designed by architectural firm DFI, which also lent its expertise to ITO skywalk in Delhi, the skywalk will relocate over 200 shops that are currently operating on the Rani Rashmoni Road. It provides for several reliefs in the form of plazas on the skywalk
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The skywalk integrates the walking concourse, shops, escalators and elevators with the railway footbridge, with separate lanes for motorised and non-motorised traffic
It is a West Bengal government project and the executing agency is Kolkata Municipal Development Authority. Construction of the skywalk began in late 2016. The inauguration was slated for the last puja, but it is finally opening on Monday
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It adopts one of the oldest approaches in design, form follows function. It is conceived structurally as an extremely basic formation: a tube mounted on top of a platform supported on two legs
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The design intent of the skywalk was to use temple motifs as a reference, provide relief at various places and utilise it as pieces of art
