Illegal borewell drill breaches Metro 3 tunnel

According to the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), the breach occurred when Shree Chandrama Water Supply Company was drilling a borewell without obtaining mandatory permission from the authority. The drill is believed to have pierced part of the tunnel, located about 18 metres below ground near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) metro station

Mumbai: In an alarming incident, a section of the underground tunnel of the Aqua Line (Metro Line 3) was damaged on March 5 after an unauthorised borewell drilling operation near Metro Cinema in south Mumbai, prompting police action days later. Metro Line 3 currently serves around 1.8 lakh passengers daily, including nearly 60,000 commuters between Cuffe Parade and CSMT.

Illegal borewell drill breaches Metro 3 tunnel

According to the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), the breach occurred when Shree Chandrama Water Supply Company was drilling a borewell without obtaining mandatory permission from the authority. The drill is believed to have pierced part of the tunnel, located about 18 metres below ground near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) metro station.

The minor damage was later detected during a routine inspection by a metro surveillance team. Despite the breach, train services between Cuffe Parade and Jogeshwari–Vikhroli Link Road continued without disruption. MMRC officials then approached the Azad Maidan police, who registered an FIR on March 13 against the company’s proprietor, Ram Babu Rai, for allegedly endangering public safety and damaging metro infrastructure.

“We have registered a case against the proprietor for unauthorised drilling carried out on March 5. The offence was registered on March 13 after due verification,” said a police officer.

The accused has been booked under sections 125 (acts that endanger human life or personal safety), 324 (mischief) and 326 (mischief by injury, inundation, fire, or explosive substance) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 78 (damage to or destruction of specific metro railway properties) of the Metro Railway Act. No arrests have been made so far, the officer said.

Since the Aqua Line’s construction began in 2017, the MMRC has issued a directive to secure permission prior to any construction or excavation within the 50 metres influence zone of the 33.5 km long corridor. The police said that the prior approval from MMRC was not taken by the accused. A spot inspection (panchanama) was conducted by the police during non-operational hours.

MMRC termed the incident serious, even as authorities confirmed that the structural impact was limited and passenger safety was not compromised.