Having been at the centre of a decade-long political controversy, the long-delayed skywalk project in Kottayam is now poised for a revival with the United Democratic Front (UDF) returning to power

According to Kottayam MLA Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, the project will be taken up on a priority basis once the new State cabinet assumes charge. “Over the past decade, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) did not even bother to apply a coat of paint to the structure. Instead, they used it as a weapon to undermine my political credibility as well as that of the UDF,” he said.

Work on the pedestrian facility, located at a key junction in Kottayam, began in February 2016 but came to an abrupt halt within months after the steel framework was erected. The proposed skywalk, designed to be 45 metres wide and supported by 6-metre-high pillars above the Seematti roundabout, was intended to serve the city’s busiest traffic node. On completion, it was planned to include two elevators, along with kiosks and seating spaces.

Originally announced by the previous UDF government in May 2015, the project lost momentum after the LDF government led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan came to power. Since then, repeated attempts at revival -- both at political and administrative levels -- have failed, turning the project into a recurring flashpoint between the two fronts, with allegations traded over its prolonged delay.

The LDF, meanwhile, maintained that the project was not viable and had at one point even considered dismantling the structure. The controversy deepened after an expert committee from IIT Palakkad, appointed by the LDF government, recommended dismantling the roof and columns above platform level. The project also came under the scanner of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, which initiated an inquiry into alleged misappropriation of public funds. A petition was also filed in the Kerala High Court seeking demolition of the partially completed structure.

In June 2024, then Transport Minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar told the Assembly that the skywalk project in Kottayam was unfeasible, adding that the revised estimate had escalated to around Rs.17.85 crore.