Mumbai’s new elevated nature trail opens at Kamala Nehru Park in Malabar Hill

On Sunday morning it was all about putting your two best feet forward as a highly anticipated forest walkwayelevated nature trail opened at Kamala Nehru Park Malabar Hill This walkway which stands opposite the Malabar Hill Club formerly WIAA club next to Siri Road was inaugurated amidst cheers at 930 amAs architect Rahul Kadri was being congratulated several top Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC officials arrived along with Mangal Prabhat Lodha guardian minister of Mumbai Suburban District and BMC chief Bhushan Gagrani Cries of lsquoMorya rersquo rent the air as the walkway was declared officially lsquoopenrsquo and then the bigwigs were off on the walkway cameras keeping paceTrail lsquonrsquo hearty at the forest walk on Sunday morning PicAtul KambleSalient featuresThis elevated nature trail at the park is 485 m in length and the width of the walkway is 24 m and 54 m It has two emergency exits one at Kamala Nehru Park and the other at the Babulnath steps Gagrani who was enjoying the trail said ldquoMaintenance is key The walkway is very strong yet we have restricted persons to 200 at one time as a precaution While we will have personnel to clean up people need to ensure cleanliness too Foodstuff is not allowed on the trailrdquoEducational aspectThe first sound on the walkway though was that of the birds chirping That sound was at once audible amidst the conversations of the walkers as one group went through the turnstiles and others awaited their turn It was evident that birds are the chirpy cheerleaders of the biodiversity spot There is an educational aspect with several small boards explaining what walkers may expect on the trail One small marker explained about the lsquoIndian Grey Hornbillrsquo and the features of the bird There was a quick learning lesson about the lsquoBark Geckorsquo which one learnt is lsquoa nocturnal gecko with rough barklike skin that helps in camouflagersquoSpeakers and listeners at the PDP Citizen Dialogue initiative PicSayyed Sameer AbediLocalSpeakSanjay Shirke a former Malabar Hill local who was on the trail said ldquoThe walkway will bring people closer to nature We must ensure it is secure since the trail winds its way for a distance inside It may be a good idea to look at some special discount for senior citizensrdquo Currently the ticket price is Rs 25Area resident Geeta Bhatia who was near the ticket counter was excited She said smiling ldquoThis is a tremendous job We need greenery We have to connect with nature This walkway gives us an avenue to do sordquoAshish C Shah who also experienced the walkway said ldquoI am here with others and all of us could not believe we are in India Experience going overseas without a passportrdquo he said with a laugh adding ldquoPeople too must play their part in maintenance by ensuring cleanlinessrdquo Even as one left the venue it was evident that the trail is where the shrill trill of the stressful mobile can be replaced by the sweet sound of birdsongThe greensThe Malabar Hill area is singing the green song loud and clear Earlier on Sunday morning before the walkway inauguration a Shantivan Rock Garden was also declared open in the vicinity near Godrej Baug Malabar Hill On Saturday March 29 morning the stunning Priyadarshini Park known by the acronym lsquoPDPrsquo played host to a programme called lsquoCitizen Dialoguersquo an interactive meeting to address pollution concerns and greening initiatives for South Mumbai specifically The special guests were Rajya Sabha MP Milind Deora and Siddhesh Kadam chairman Maharashtra Pollution Control Board MPCB Susieben Shah general secretary PDP said to her audience comprising primarily people from the area ldquoOne needs to be part of the system to bring about change We need to engage continually with politicians and policymakersrdquo explained Shah who is with the Shiv Sena Eknath ShindeThe meet marked the launch of an umbrella organisation called lsquoSouth Mumbai Residents Associationrsquo SMRA Deora said ldquoAir Quality Index AQI is the burning issue of today The AQI is now on the radar of the Mumbaikar too More interactive meetings under the SMRA umbrella are keyrdquoKadam said ldquoBorn and brought up here I know what Mumbai is facing Where there is development there is pollution We do want development but balance is critical There is that thin line which we can demarcate at meetingsrdquo485 metresLength of the walkway5 am 9 pmElevated nature trail timingsRs 25Ticket price for Indian citizensRs 100Ticket price for foreignersRs 25Ticket price for Indian citizensWalkway wise Nature trail numbersLength 485mWidth 24m and 54mEmergency exits 2 The elevated nature trail is open to the public from 5 am to 9 pm every day To visit the Nature Elevated Trail visitors can book tickets through httpsnaturetrailmcgmgovin The ticket charges areRs 25 for Indian citizensRs 100 for foreign nationals Visiting hours are divided into onehour slots with controlled access via an online ticketing system Visitors will receive a barcode upon booking for entry and exit