The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is ensuring that motorists using the Coastal Road tunnel in south Mumbai don’t experience call drops. M M Swami, the project’s chief engineer, said, “We are trying to make sure there’s mobile network connectivity in the tunnel. We are in the process of talking to a technical expert. The tunnel, from Priyadarshini Park on Napean Sea Road to Marine Lines, is more than two kilometres long.”

The tunnel has three lanes and can accommodate heavy vehicles such as buses. When this reporter visited the tunnel site at Priyadarshini Park recently, he learnt that there was no mobile network after venturing about 300 metres into the tunnel. According to an official, network connectivity is essential. “In an emergency, an in-tunnel mobile network is helpful. We have made sure there are all kinds of safety measures. Cross passages have been made at 300-metre intervals in the tunnel, which serve as emergency exits. The tunnel has a 375-mm-thick concrete cover and fire protection boards have been installed on it. “It also has a Saccardo system, which ensures there is enough ventilation and airflow even during fires,” the official stated.