Forest walkway in Malabar Hill to be ready by December this year

Inspired by Singapore’s elevated forest walkways that are popular crowd-pullers, the BMC proposed the construction of an elevated walkway through the Malabar Hill Forest in 2020.

The tenders for this project was awarded in 2021 for Rs 22 crore, and civil works began in 2022. Initially, the BMC had kept a one-year deadline for the completion of the project, however, civic officials maintained that the project is now 90 per cent complete and is likely to be inaugurated by December this year.

Last week, the BMC floated tender worth Rs 2.43 crore to appoint manpower for maintenance and housekeeping service. “We have floated the latest tender to ensure the manpower is appointed and ready when it is opened for public use. Since the walkway is elevated, security would be of utmost importance,” the official said.

The entry and exit points of the trail will be from Siri Road, behind the Kamala Nehru Park from where the walkway will extend upto 705 metres within the Malabar Hill Forest, providing an unhindered view of the Arabian Sea. The walkway will also have a birdwatching zone and a glass bottom viewing deck.

The walkway deck is being made out of woods and the structure is being constructed with minimum usage of concrete to ensure natural flow of water through the hill slopes is not interrupted and wildlife movement are not affected.

“Not a single tree was affected for this project and considering this is an eco-sensitive area and as well as a silent zone, we had to carry out the civil works during a stipulated timing, which has led to extension of the deadline by an year,” said the official.