The meeting, which also included the Transport Secretary, the District Collector, senior officials from the Public Works Department (PWD), the Kerala Road Safety Authority, KITCO and the Revenue Department, resolved to move ahead with the skywalk project and to convene another session at the Kottayam Collectorate on September 30 to finalise the detailed blueprint.
Following the speaker’s directive, the Architectural Wing of the PWD has prepared a revised design. The United Democratic Front (UDF) government has earmarked ₹15 crore for the work, which is planned in three phases. The first phase will construct the roundabout section, while the second phase will extend the walkway from Thirunakkara ground to the bus stand, cross the road, pass through the municipal building, reach the roundabout and continue to Bakery Junction. The revised plan also adds a staircase and lift near the municipal building’s open space and on the CSI Complex side, providing three access points. Officials have decided to undertake the first two phases simultaneously.
Construction of the skywalk originally began in February 2016 at the Seematti roundabout, a busy junction in the town. The 45‑metre structure, supported by six‑metre‑high pillars and intended to include elevators, kiosks and seating, was halted within months after only the steel framework was erected, leaving a skeletal frame that became a political flashpoint. The project, announced by the UDF in 2015, lost momentum when the Left Democratic Front (LDF) took office the following year. In June 2024, then‑Transport Minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar told the Assembly the scheme was not feasible and that its revised cost had risen to nearly ₹17.85 crore.
The unfinished structure later attracted scrutiny from an expert committee of IIT Palakkad, which recommended dismantling portions above platform level. The Vigilance and Anti‑Corruption Bureau opened an inquiry into alleged misappropriation of public funds, and a petition seeking demolition of the partially completed skywalk was filed before the Kerala High Court.
Reviving the skywalk now signals a shift in political will and could ease pedestrian congestion at one of Kottayam’s busiest junctions, provided the pending blueprint and funding are secured and legal challenges resolved.