BMC Responds To Mumbai Coastal Road Tunnel 'Falling Apart' Photos On X

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday responded to a viral social media post about the Mumbai Coastal Road tunnel. The post shared on X, formerly Twitter, raised concerns about issues like peeling paint, water seepage and poor finishing of the tunnel.

After an X user tagged Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, demanding accountability over the alleged betrayal of "world-class infrastructure," the Mumbai civic body clarified that the patches visible in the photos were not due to paint peeling off. 

It said that the patches were a result of minor surface repairs that were carried out as part of precautionary maintenance.

"Is this the 'world-class infrastructure' we were promised? The brand-new Mumbai Coastal Road tunnel is already falling apart," X user named Eternal Drift said on Mar. 5.

In response, the BMC explained: "They (the repaired patched) will be painted after complete drying, as per the approved methodology."

On concerns about the seepage, the civic body added that it had already been addressed and assured that regular maintenance was being carried out in the tunnel in line with the approved methodology.

Last month, the same X user had flagged the appearance of patchwork on the newly constructed northbound stretch of the road. The user had shared a video of the patchwork area, calling Mumbai's Rs 14,000 crore project a "betrayal."

"This is beyond disappointing. Mumbai's Rs 14,000 crore Coastal Road already looks like patchwork. I feel betrayed," the post read.

Notably, the issue had caught the attention of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). The video was shared in a WhatsApp group of the BMC by a senior officer after being forwarded by the PMO to the Maharashtra Chief Secretary.

Subsequently, the civic body had explained, noting that the asphalting work on the stretch was completed before the monsoon, leading to some separation at the joints.

"To prevent further damage, the issue was temporarily repaired using mastic asphalt during the monsoon..," it said, adding that the whole repair work would take 15-20 days.

The Mumbai Coastal Road project, which provides faster connectivity between south Mumbai and the northern suburbs (Nariman Point to Dahisar), is being developed in phases. With 94% of the work completed, the coastal road is expected to be open to the public soon.