Kerala Budget: Kottayam skywalk returns to centre stage as UDF clears revival plan
The skeletal skywalk structure that has stood at the centre of Kottayam’s political battles for nearly a decade may finally spring back to life, with
The skeletal skywalk structure that has stood at the centre of Kottayam’s political battles for nearly a decade may finally spring back to life, with the maiden Budget of the United Democratic Front (UDF) government backing its revival. Presenting the Revised Budget on Friday (June 19, 2026), Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan announced that work on the controversial skywalk project would resume. The announcement fulfils a key electoral promise made by Kottayam MLA and Speaker Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, who had pledged to prioritise the project once the UDF returned to power. ₹15 crore earmarked According to a statement issued by the Speaker’s office, ₹15 crore has been earmarked for the project. “Several projects that had remained neglected over the past 10 years have received approval in the Budget.
One of the key announcements is the decision to resume construction of the skywalk project, which had come to a standstill due to political pressure from the ruling front,” the statement said. The decision marks a sharp turnaround for a project that the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government had virtually abandoned. In June 2024, then Transport Minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar informed the Assembly that the project was not feasible and pointed out that its revised cost had escalated to nearly ₹17.85 crore. Construction of the skywalk began in February 2016 at the Seematti roundabout, one of the busiest traffic junctions in the town. Designed to span 45 metres and supported by si metre-high pillars, it was envisaged as a modern pedestrian facility equipped with elevators, kiosks, and seating areas to ease movement across the congested junction.
However, work came to a halt within months after the steel framework was erected, leaving behind a skeletal structure that soon became a subject of political contention. Recurring flashpoint Originally announced by the UDF government in 2015, the project lost momentum after the LDF assumed office the following year. Since then, repeated attempts to revive it have failed, turning the unfinished structure into a recurring flashpoint between the two political fronts. The LDF government consistently maintained that the project was financially and technically unviable and, at one stage, even explored the possibility of dismantling the structure. The controversy deepened after an expert committee from IIT Palakkad, appointed by the government, recommended dismantling portions of the structure above platform level.
The BriefWire