The Bangla Government, at the initiative of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has repaired, as well as built, several structures and provided several amenities at Kali temples.
The latest are two modern skywalks at Dakshineswar and Kalighat. While the former was inaugurated just before Kali Puja last year, the planning for the next is already in place. Both have been conceived by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Dakshineswar Skywalk
It is a futuristic 10.5 metre-wide and 340 metre-long elevated glass-and-steel pathway that connects the Dakshineswar railway station to the compound of the famous Kali temple. It also connects the nearby traffic rotary with the gates of the temple compound through several escalators that go up to the skywalk.
The Dakshineswar Kali Temple draws 1.4 crore devotees every year, and this passage, exclusively for those walking to the temple, serves as a major convenience. It has resolved a lot of the traffic problems as the hundreds of pedestrians will no longer crowd the streets.
Kalighat Skywalk
A state-of-the-art skywalk has been planned for the easy movement of devotees to and from the Kalighat Temple, which is also visited by crores of people every year.
The skywalk would be 450 metres long, and would connect Kalighat metro station on SP Mukherjee Road to the Kalighat Temple. There will be escalator facilities for climbing up to and coming down from the skywalk.
The roads around the temple have been widened and beautified, and are regularly cleaned now.