Kottayam: The expert committee that conducted a strength evaluation of the partially constructed skywalk structure in Kottayam has recommended dismantling its roof. The assessment report, prepared by IIT Palakkad and the Structural Engineering Research Centre in Chennai under the direction of the Kerala Road Safety Authority, highlights serious structural concerns.

The report suggests the immediate removal of corroded pipes and calls for the complete dismantling of the roof, retaining only the basic pillars for safety. 

Meanwhile, allegations have surfaced claiming that the government is deliberately stalling the project as part of its efforts to exclude KITCO, which handled the first phase of the project, in favour of awarding it to the Uralungal Society.

Kottayam MLA Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan has accused the government of sabotaging the skywalk initiative. He noted that the project, launched on December 22, 2015, during the UDF government's tenure, had been allocated a budget of Rs 5.18 crore. However, after the LDF government assumed office, funding for KITCO was withheld, causing the project to a standstill.

"The skywalk has been successfully implemented in other places like Thrissur. But here, they cite technical and policy reasons to block the project. This is the same government that had one of its ministers stating in the Assembly that the skywalk will be dismantled even before the matter was under consideration by the Kerala High Court'', Radhakrishnan pointed out.