Meghalaya gets new tourist attraction - a skywalk
By IANSFriday, July 16, 2010
SHILLONG - Meghalaya Friday added another tourist attraction, a 76 meter tall skywalk atop a seven-storeyed building that will provide visitors a breathtaking view of the beautiful state capital.
The skywalk, a huge wire cage of stainless steel, is the first of its kind in northeastern India. It has been installed atop the Don Bosco Centre for Indigenous Cultures (DBCIC) in Mawlai, a suburb of Shillong. The DBCIC is Asia’s largest museum of indigenous culture.
“The skywalk will provide the visitors a 360 degrees view of the beautiful Queen City of the north east, namely, the historic Shillong,” DBCIC, Shillong director, Joseph Puthenpurakal, told IANS.
Shillong Peak is the highest point in the state, a height of 1,965 metres above sea level.
Puthenpurakal said a powerful telescope would be installed in the skywalk to make the experience more exciting.
Union Minister of State for Water Resources Vincent H. Pala, inaugurating the skywalk, said: “This is a unique structure and would help promote tourism in the state further.”
The minister promised to donate Rs.25 lakh to the museum from his MP scheme.
Started a year and a half ago, the skywalk project is designed by architects from New Delhi. It was completed in June at an estimated cost of over Rs.25 lakh.
