The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has made significant progress on the city's first elevated forest walkway in Malabar Hill, with nearly all civil works completed. However, additional tasks like painting, installing lavatories, electrical work, and setting up ticket counters are still in progress.
The elevated path will be 705 meters long and pass through the Malabar Hill Forest. It will have entry and exit points on Siri Road, behind Kamala Nehru Park. One of its standout features is a glass-bottom viewing deck, which will offer an exciting view of the forest and the Arabian Sea.
There will also be a bird-watching area along the path. The deck of the walkway is made of wood to allow natural water flow and to protect the local wildlife. As per sources, no trees were cut down for this project. Since the area is environmentally sensitive and considered a quiet zone, strict measures were followed.
These restrictions contributed to the project taking longer than originally planned. Staffing issues and the upcoming Assembly elections have also slowed the progress. Despite this, the project is targeted to be ready for public use by the end of the year.
The idea for the elevated walkway came from the BMC in 2020. The INR 22 crore tender was awarded in 2021 to make a walkway inspired by the one in Singapore. The construction started in 2022. Furthermore, the BMC recently placed a bid worth INR 2.43 crore. The money will be used to hire staff for cleaning and maintaining the walkway.
Initially, the project was expected to be finished within a year. However, construction has taken longer. Currently, 90% of the work is done. If all goes as planned, the walkway will be inaugurated in December.
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