Mumbai's iconic boot house in Hanging Garden shut for public again, authorities deem it 'unsafe' for human occupancy

The iconic Old Woman's Shoe has been closed for public yet again with a board that states it is unsafe for human occupancy. Notably, the shoe which is housed in Kamala Nehru Park in Malabar Hill had reopened for public in early 2018 after a five-year-long makeover.

A report in the Times of India quoeted local garden department staff saying that repairs are being undertaken by the hydraulic engineering department.

The iconic shoe is housed in the Hanging Gardens also called Pherozeshah Mehta Gardens which is built on Malabar Hill's summit. The boot house has been primary attraction for the public visiting the garden.

Based on nursery rhyme ‘There was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe’, the iconic structure was taken under repairs by the BMC in 2012 when they were renovating adjacent Kamala Nehru Park.

The boot house is the primary draw in the garden where they can climb inside the structure and get an aerial view of the green space.

Kamala Nehru Park renovation plan

The park was redecorated along the theme of nursery rhymes in regional and English languages like Ba Ba Black Sheep, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Macchli Jal Ki Rani Hai and Ye Re Ye Re Pavasa.

Howevver, within few years of renovation the Kamala Nehru Park is again in need of another as many swings, slides and play structures are in a run down condition while the paint from the walls have faded.

See the condition of park here: