TFP Bureau, Raipur; July 25, 2024: A meeting chaired by Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Dev Sai has led to the decision to complete Raipur’s incomplete sky-walk according to the pre-approved design. Additionally, a committee under the chairmanship of the Collector will be formed to oversee the road widening project from Sharda Chowk to Tatyapara Chowk, including evaluating the need for compensation and land acquisition.
Deputy Chief Minister and Urban Administration and Public Works Minister Shri Arun Sao, Raipur MP Shri Brijmohan Agarwal, former MP Shri Sunil Soni, Raipur West MLA Shri Rajesh Munat, Raipur Rural MLA Shri Motilal Sahu, former MLA Shri Nandkumar Sahu, and Shri Shrichand Sundarani were among the attendees.
The decision to complete the sky-walk follows a detailed discussion and consensus reached by Chief Minister Sai and Deputy Chief Minister Sao. Initially instructed by the then Chief Minister, pedestrian counts in October 2016 revealed 14,000 pedestrians at Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Hospital Chowk and 27,000 at Shastri Chowk. These numbers increased to 25,095 and 35,920 respectively by May 2019. A previous government suggestion committee had also recommended completing the sky-walk.
Regarding road widening, it was noted that while four-lane roads have been constructed from Jaistambh Chowk to Sharda Chowk and from Tatyapara Chowk to Azad Chowk, the 510-meter stretch between Sharda Chowk and Tatyapara Chowk remains a bottleneck, causing daily traffic congestion. The meeting concluded that this section should be widened to match the existing four-lane roads for route uniformity.
A new committee, chaired by the Raipur Collector, will be formed by the Urban Administration and Development Department. This committee is tasked with presenting a report within 30 days detailing the total land to be acquired, the number of affected landowners and encroachers, and options for providing the necessary land for widening. The report will include a comprehensive assessment of government and private lands affected by the project.
