Unauthorised drilling damages Metro 3 tunnel; FIR filed after 8-day delay | Mumbai News
3 min readMumbaiMar 19, 2026 12:37 AM IST
Unauthorised drilling for a borewell by a private water supplier near Metro Cinema in Marine Lines damaged a section of the underground Metro Line 3 tunnel on March 5, prompting the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (MMRCL) to file an FIR, eight days later, at Azad Maidan police station.
The FIR identified Chandrama Water Supply Pvt Ltd, whose proprietor is Rambabu Raay, for the damage that left a minor hole on the left side of the tunnel.
Officials said the damage was caused by illegal boring within the restricted 50-metre influence zone of the metro corridor, where prior NOC from MMRCL is mandatory. Metro operations, however, were not affected.
Raay was charged under sections 324(5) (causing mischief leading to damage between Rs 20,000 to a lakh), 326(b) (causing damage to public infrastructure) of the BNS and Section 78 of the Metro Act (willful damage to metro property).
“The incident took place on March 5 and the borewell was dug without taking permission from the BMC. An FIR in the matter was registered last Friday,” a senior officer added.
MMRCL officials confirmed that the drilling violated norms that prohibit activities such as borewell digging, excavation and construction without prior approval in the vicinity of the tunnel. Additionally, the borewell also lacked permission from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
Following the incident, MMRCL reissued a public notice reiterating that any work within 50 metres of the alignment requires clearance. The twin tunnels, each about 6.35 metres in diameter, run 17–25 metres below ground and pass beneath multiple properties along the corridor.
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“Two tunnels of the metro Line 3 of approximately diameter of 6.35 m, spaced approximately 20-22 m apart, and at depth of approximately 17-25 m below ground level are passing beneath certain properties situated on both sides of Line 3’s alignment (as indicated on map),” says the notice.
“In order to prevent any adverse impact on the Metro Tunnels resulting from any development/redevelopment, it is mandatory for property owners, landlords, societies, associations, and similar entities (within 50 m influence zone) to obtain approval from MMRC before commencing any development/redevelopment including drilling of tubewells or sinking of wells, construction & demolition, geotechnical investigation, excavation and laying out any infrastructure.”
Authorities declined to explain the delay in filing the FIR.
Officials said applicants seeking NOCs must submit detailed drawings and project documents for scrutiny. As of December 2025, MMRCL had granted 226 such permissions for works ranging from road concretisation and drainage to soil investigations and infrastructure projects, including works near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.
