Malabar Hill Walkway Shut as BMC Approves Rs 41.83-Crore Slope Work
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has approved a Rs 41.83-crore slope-stabilisation project for Mumbai’s Malabar Hill Nature Elevated Walkway, which has been closed for several months after a series of rockfall incidents raised concerns about visitor safety.
Mumbai | September 10, 2026
The walkway, inaugurated on March 30, 2025, was closed in June after rocks fell along the hill slope. The municipal corporation will spend Rs 41,83,26,542 on stabilisation work, with the contract awarded to Dev Engineers, according to a report by Loksatta – Mumbai.
The project is scheduled to begin on October 1. In the first phase, work will focus on the upper section of the hill above the elevated walkway. The route is expected to reopen after that portion is completed, following which stabilisation work will be taken up on the lower slope.
The closure followed two separate safety concerns in June. On June 12, a centuries-old Karnphal tree on the hill reportedly uprooted and caused extensive damage to the walkway. At the time, between 30 and 35 visitors were on the route. They were at the opposite end of the walkway, helping avert a major loss of life, according to the report. The civic administration subsequently imported wood required for repairs and reopened the route after the damage was addressed.
Rockfall incidents were reported only days after the walkway reopened. The BMC’s consultants and experts from the Indian Institute of Technology then carried out a structural inspection. The assessment identified a risk of landslides, prompting the corporation to close the walkway for several months and undertake slope-stabilisation work before allowing visitors to return.
The elevated walkway was developed at Malabar Hill on the model of Singapore’s TreeTop Walk. It was built along a steep hillside where the slope includes an ageing retaining wall and has reportedly experienced landslides during the monsoon. The latest municipal work is intended to address the stability of the hill slope and improve safety around the visitor route.
The project has received approval from the BMC standing committee. The decision comes roughly a year and a quarter after the walkway was inaugurated and after the corporation had already spent substantial sums on its construction and subsequent repairs. The sequence has raised questions about whether preventive slope-protection measures should have been completed before the facility opened.
The BMC has not indicated in the supplied report how long the first phase will take or provided a final date for the walkway’s full reopening. The next scheduled milestone is the start of slope-stabilisation work on October 1.
