Two months after plans for four skywalks in the vicinity of heritage structures in South Mumbai were scrapped, the Practicing Engineers Architects, and Town Planners Association (PEATA) has submitted an alternative design, proposing roofless, elevated walkways instead.

Heritage activists had dubbed the skywalks ‘yellow caterpillars’ that would block the view of the heritage structures. The Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) had proposed the skywalks on DN Road between CST and Churchgate, CST and Mantralaya, Vidhan Bhavan and Regal Cinema, and Regal Cinema and CST. The area has several Grade-I heritage structures like CST, the Western Railway headquarters and Flora Fountain and historic maidans, heritage and art deco precincts.

“We decided to do away with the proposal as any skywalk would have obstructed the view. The BMC has instead proposed elevated roads,” said Lt Col Anand Pahal, additional chief engineer, MMRDA.

The fresh designs have been submitted to Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee. Committee chief DK Afzalpurkar said they are yet to examine them.

PEATA president Manoj Daisaria said their design proposes roofless skywalks for an unhindered view of heritage structures. “The colonial arcades along DN Road were meant to serve as pedestrian walkways but they have been taken over by hawkers and there is no safe footpath especially for women and children. As planners, we felt development can’t be frozen and the only solution was a design that gels with the area,” said Daisaria.

PEATA says the skywalk along CST, for instance, should adapt the design of the main CST building so that supply columns are in the Corinthian style and balusters have the same design as the CST parapet. The height of the elevated road proposed is 14 feet and width 4.5 feet.

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