Kalighat patachitra now on board skywalk ahead of opening

Kolkata: The Kalighat skywalk is set to open on April 14 on the eve of Poila Baisakh, the Bengali new year. A KMC official on Friday said work on the skywalk, including that of ‘Kalighat patachitra' on the facade of the structure at its SP Mukherjee Road entrance, had been completed and final checks were being carried out.A civic official said the patachitra was added to give the skywalk a special identity. ‘Kalighat patachitra' or ‘Kalighat painting' is a style of Indian painting that originated in the 19th century. It was first practised by a group of specialised scroll painters, known as ‘patuas' in the vicinity of the Kalighat temple.After the completion of the Kalighat patachitra work, Kalighat Temple Road below the skyway that leads to the temple was restored and hawkers streamlined. KMC officials and cops from the traffic wing are now busy finding space for car parking near the temple. They conducted a survey of Kalighat Temple Road, Kalighat Road and adjoining areas on Wednesday to earmark parking space for devotees and visitors to the temple once the skywalk was thrown open.A KMC official said chief minister Mamata Banerjee was scheduled to inaugurate the skywalk a day before Poila Baisakh. "We are working overtime to ensure the skywalk is ready for inauguration in a month. The CM is supposed to be the first devotee who, after inaugurating, will use the skywalk to reach the Kalighat temple to offer puja," said the official.Work on the skywalk started in 2021 after a two-year delay, with the pandemic adding to the lage. The project had thereafter missed several deadlines. Trinamool councillor of Kalighat area Prabir Mukherjee on Wednesday said the skywalk was aimed at offering devotees a hassle-free walk to the temple. Mukherjee said an appeal was being made to hawkers in the area not to encroach upon the approach road. "Devotees from across the country as well as foreigners visit the famous Kali temple at Kalighat. We appeal to hawkers to keep their wares within the space allotted to them and ensure their stalls don't encroach on the road meant for visitors," he said.Kali Temple Road, Sadananda Road and Gurupada Halder Road are among the roads in the vicinity of the temple that the civic body has reconstructed after they were dug up for the construction of the skywalk. In Dec 2023, the state approved the release of Rs 5.3 crore for the reconstruction of roads and pavements. The state sanctioned Rs 82.6 crore in phases for the skywalk.