Down under in Mumbai: India's 1st undersea tunnels to open in Nov

• India’s first undersea twin tunnels in south Mumbai are close to completion

Key features of the project

• The tunnels start near Girgaon (ahead of Marine Drive), extend north under the Arabian Sea, Girgaon Chowpatty and Malabar Hill, and end at Breach Candy’s Priyadarshini Park.
• The 2.07-km tunnels are a part of the Rs 12,721-crore Mumbai Coastal Road Project (MCRP)
• It is being built by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
• The 10.58-km MCRP links Marine Drive to the Bandra-Worli Sea Link and is just one part of the Coastal Road project.
• The high-speed coastal road aims to cut down the 45-minute commute from Girgaon to Worli during peak hours to just 10 minutes.
• The tunnels have a diameter of 12.19 metres, run 17-20 m below sea level.
• A nearly 1-km stretch lies under the sea.
• The tunnel resembles the shape of the Queen’s Necklace like the famous C-shaped Marine Drive promenade
• Another highlight of the project is the use of the largest ever tunnel boring machine (TBM) in the history of India.
• It is named Mavala in honour of Shivaji’s warfare experts from the Koli and Kunbi community

Prelims take away

• Mavala
• Koli and Kunbi community