'Underground infrastructure is need of the hour'

A conclave on 'Tunnelling in Infrastructure Development: Issues and Challenges' was organised in Mumbai on Thursday.

During the conclave, the Managing Director of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said that underground infrastructure is the need of the hour.

"Our country, today is growing at a very fast pace and requires huge infrastructure push, which is a challenge and an opportunity at the same time", said Mangu Singh, Managing Director of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).

"Implementing underground infrastructure projects is a challenge and tunnelling plays a crucial role in it. The complexity of tunnelling necessitates deliberation on various aspects and this conclave will certainly prove beneficial", said Singh at the conclave was organised jointly by the Tunnelling Association of India, Central Board of Irrigation and Power, Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) and Indian Concrete Institute, ISRM and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.

Ashwini Bhide, Managing Director of Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), said, "MMRC is implementing the 33.5-km long Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ Metro-3 corridor, which is the first underground metro project in the city and longest underground metro project in the country. The existing public transport system is chocked and due to space constraints it is difficult to expand the same. Given the circumstances, underground projects can provide a lot of relief. It is in this context a conclave such as this is a welcome step where new technologies in tunnelling and its proper leverage would be discussed and deliberated upon".

N. K. Garg, MD, Kolkata Metro and CEO of Eastern railway said, "Tunnels are the best replacement to bridges. The city of Kolkata is also contemplating construction of tunnel under Hooghly river."