Push for Sikkim skywalk

The Grand Canyon skywalk

TT, Gangtok, Nov. 19: The Sikkim government has decided to entrust the construction of the proposed skywalk in the South district to the chief engineer of the Grand Canyon skywalk in Arizona.

The skywalk is proposed atop the rocky spur of Baleydhunga at a height of 10,102ft in Yang-yang village in South Sikkim district, which is 50km from Gangtok.

The village is the native place of chief minister Pawan Chamling.

Bill Karren, the chief engineer of the US company Lochsa Engineering that built Grand Canyon skywalk, will be responsible for building the skywalk in South Sikkim.

“He made a presentation on the project on Monday before the governor and the chief minister. During the presentation, Karren said the skywalk, upon its completion, would put Sikkim in the forefront of global tourism. If everything goes off well, work will commence next year,” said the secretary in the tourism and civil aviation department, Chewang Zangpo.

The skywalk in Grand Canyon is a U-shaped cantilevered glass structure jutting 70ft past the rim of the cliff. Its at a height of 4,770ft.

The skywalk project at Baleydhunga was conceptualised by chief minister Chamling. The project had been first rejected by the National Wildlife Board and ministry of forests and environment as some of the areas fell under the Maenam Wildlife Sanctuary.

The government scaled down the components of the project and the requirement of forestland was cut down from six hectares to 2.5 hectares. Accordingly, the project cost has also come down from Rs 1,200 crore to Rs 600 crore.

The tourism secretary said the reworked project had received in principle approval from the Union environment ministry and the final nod would be given by mid-December. He refused to disclose the features of the skywalk, saying such details could be made public after the final approval came.

The 13th Finance Commission in 2010 had said the skywalk project was the first of its kind in the country and had allocated Rs 200 crore.

From the skywalk, one will be able to catch a glimpse of the valley below, including the meandering Teesta and the Rangit, apart from the Kanchenjungha.

“Tourists can visit other places in South Sikkim such as Char Dham, Buddha park and the statue of Guru Padmasambhava. The skywalk would be an additional boost for the tourism in South Sikkim,” said tour operator Anil Rai.