1.6 km pedestrian skywalk near Chennai Central awaits heritage panel green light

C Shivakumar
Chennai:
The 1.6 km-long pedestrian skywalk proposed on Poonamallee High Road connecting Chennai central is now before the Heritage Conservation Committee for clearance.

CMDA sources said the skywalk, which would help connect pedestrians to more than 10 different points including Chennai Central, Moore Market Complex, Madras Medical College, Southern Railway head quarters and Government General Hospital, would be inspected by the Heritage Conservation committee on Tuesday before deciding to give a green light to the proposal.

Interestingly, the proposal has already got the nod of Southern Railways. Sources said the proposal would ease the movement of pedestrians in the crowded stretch.

Sources said that the decision was taken during the heritage Conservation Committee meeting held here on Wednesday.

Sources said that the Heritage Conservation Committee also overruled the objections over the first draft list of 67 sites. “There were two objections which were overruled,” sources said.
Interestingly, this means that the Southern Railways plan to tear down more than the century-old Royapuram Railway station is now unlikely to fructify. Built in 1856 during the colonial era by the then Madras Railway Company, Royapuram was the first station that initiated railway services in South India. The list prepared by CMDA has described it as Grade-1 heritage structure.

Sources said the draft list will be cleared for notification during the next authority meeting. The meeting also re-evaluated the grading of 15 buildings.

Sources also said that the committee gave clearance to construction of a building at St Bedes School in Santhome. The school is a heritage site as such the officials sought the clearance from heritage conservation committee, sources said.