16 Escalators, Seven Lifts for Indian Holy Site Skywalk

Sixteen escalators and seven lifts are part of a 460-m skywalk planned outside Gurdwara Shaheedan Sahib in Amritsar in the northwestern Indian state of Punjab, The Tribune reports. Amritsar Smart City officials aim to upgrade infrastructure near Gurdwara Shaheedan Sahib, a holy site that has a daily footfall of up to 50,000 pilgrims, to position Amritsar as a “World Class Tourism Destination.” Currently, visitors to the gurdwara — a place of assembly for Sikhs — must cross a road, resulting in minor accidents and traffic congestion. In addition to the vertical-transportation equipment, the Rs 63-crore (US$7.9 million) skywalk will have restrooms, a visitor information center and police posts. Four companies have expressed interest in building the skywalk, and officials are proceeding with the bid process.