Now, one can pre-book slots for short visits at Malabar Hill walkway
BMC to introduce WhatsApp chatbot for ticket booking
Written by Pratip Acharya
Mumbai | July 22, 2025 07:55 PM IST
4 min read
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The Malabar Hill elevated walkway has proven popular amongst the city's residents
(Express Photo by Debasish Dey)
Four months after opening the elevated natural trail walkway at Malabar Hill, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is set to upgrade its existing ticketing system as part of which visitors can now book slots for a shorter period of time to enter the walkway. As part of the new system, people will be able to book tickets through WhatsApp Messenger as well, said civic officials.
At present, visitors are allowed inside the walkway only after they have pre-booked their slot. People can pre-book an hour-long slot through the BMC’s dashboard which is accessible via mobile phones and computers. To prevent overcrowding on the walkway, the administration has capped the maximum number of visitors inside the walkway at 200. The walkway became operational in the last week of March, and in April 2025, the walkway garnered a footfall of one lakh visitors. However, in May the footfall dropped to 55,000 while in June as many as 45,000 people had visited the walkway.
Four months after opening the elevated natural trail walkway at Malabar Hill, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is set to upgrade its existing ticketing system (Express Photo)
However, the civic authorities have attributed the dip in the number of visitors to the pre-monsoon showers of May and monsoon onset that took place early in June.
“As part of the new upgrade, we are planning to introduce short visit span ranging from 15 minutes to 30 minutes. By this way, we can divide a 60-minute slot to four different slots. This would allow more people to visit the walkway at any given time and prevent overcrowding at the spot as well,” said an official.
The civic officials said that as part of the new software upgrade, people will be able to book tickets via a dedicated WhatsApp number. The BMC will also introduce a chatbot that will be integrated with the BMC’s official helpline number allowing citizens to book the tickets directly.
“The new WhatsApp number will be circulated among visitors. They can choose the preferred slot and their duration from their chatbot and finalise a time for their visit. This system will be pretty much seamless. The number will also be displayed at the entry points. So, visitors who haven’t booked slots earlier can also get on spot bookings if ticket are available,” the official said.
The walkway offers views of the Arabian Sea (Express Photo by Debasish Dey)
The walkway is inspired by Singapore’s elevated forest walkways, also known as ‘nature trails,’ which are popular crowd pullers.
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The walkway deck is made of wood, and the entire structure is constructed with minimum usage of concrete to ensure natural flow of water through the hill slopes and it is not interrupted, and wildlife movement is not affected.
The entry and exit points of the trail are from Siri Road, right behind the Kamala Nehru Park from where the walkway extends up to 705 metres, traversing within the Malabar Hill Forest, providing an unhindered view of the Arabian Sea. The walkway also has a birdwatching zone and a glass bottom viewing deck.
Meanwhile, to keep a check on crowd control, the civic body charges an entry fee of Rs 25 for visitors, while foreign citizens are being charged Rs 100. Besides this, the civic authorities are also prohibited from carrying food items on the trail considering the presence of monkeys in the forest.
Pratip Acharya is a seasoned journalist based in Mumbai reporting for The Indian Express. With a career spanning over a decade, his work demonstrates strong Expertise and Authority in critical urban issues, civic affairs, and electoral politics across Eastern and Western India.
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Current Role: Journalist, The Indian Express (IE), reporting from Mumbai.
Core Authority: Pratip's reporting focuses sharply on local democracy and development, specializing in:
Urban Governance and Civic Affairs: Providing in-depth analysis of municipal decision-making, city planning, and local infrastructure, essential for informed urban reporting.
City Politics and Environment: Covering the political dynamics of Mumbai and surrounding areas, alongside critical environmental challenges impacting the metro region.
Electoral Coverage (High-Stakes Experience): He has extensive experience in high-stakes political reporting, having covered major elections, establishing his Trustworthiness in political analysis:
National: Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and 2019.
State: West Bengal Assembly elections in 2016 and Maharashtra Assembly elections in 2019.
Major Assignments (Ground Reporting): Pratip demonstrated commitment during crises by conducting ground reporting throughout the Covid-19 pandemic since its breakout in 2020, offering first-hand accounts and analysis of the public health crisis.
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Extensive Experience: Starting his career in 2014, Pratip has built his foundation across multiple prominent English dailies:
Started at The Times of India in Kolkata (2014).
Relocated to Mumbai (2016) and worked with The Free Press Journal and Hindustan Times before joining The Indian Express.
Pratip Acharya's diverse experience across major publications, coupled with his specialized focus on the intricate details of urban governance and a track record of covering major electoral and health crises, establishes him as a trusted and authoritative source for news from India's critical metropolitan centres. ... Read More
4 min read
Four months after opening the elevated natural trail walkway at Malabar Hill, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is set to upgrade its existing ticketing system (Express Photo)
The walkway offers views of the Arabian Sea
