Mon Apr 14 20:21:34 UTC 2025: ## Kolkata’s Longest Skywalk Opens Amidst Tensions

**Kolkata, April 15, 2025** – West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated Kolkata’s longest skywalk on the eve of Poila Baishak, the Bengali New Year. The 440-meter skywalk connects SP Mukherjee Road to the Kalighat temple, aiming to boost religious tourism. The inauguration coincided with calls for peace and communal harmony following recent violent anti-Waqf protests in Murshidabad and Bhangar, which resulted in three deaths and instances of arson.

Chief Minister Banerjee appealed for calm, urging citizens to refrain from violence and to only protest peacefully with proper permits. She also inaugurated a renovated Kalighat temple and a new Hawkers Corner alongside the skywalk, which was constructed by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) after overcoming significant delays and construction hurdles including electricity lines, encroachments, and water supply lines. The project, begun in October 2021, follows a similar skywalk built at the Dakshineswar Kali temple in 2018.

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