132-year-old tunnel discovered under Mumbai's JJ Hospital
Mumbai, Nov 4: A 132-year-old tunnel-like structure has been found on the premises of the government-run JJ Hospital in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The 200-metre-long structure was found under a building which originally housed the Sir Dinshaw Manockjee Petit Hospital for Women and Children. It was later converted into a nursing college.
The tunnel came to light during an inspection of the building following a complaint of water leakage, officials said.
The foundation stone of the British-era heritage building was laid by Lord Reay, then Governor of Bombay, on January 27, 1890, said Dr Arun Rathod, Medical Superintendent of the hospital.
Hospital Dean Dr Pallavi Saple told PTI that they have apprised the Mumbai collector and Maharashtra Archaeology Department about the discovery as the building is a heritage structure.
Dr Rathod, who inspected the structure from inside, told PTI that it is 4.5 feet high and has several brick pillars. The entrance is sealed with a stone wall, he said.
They entered after opening what looked like a sealed ventilation duct, three ft-by-three ft in size. There are many such sealed openings on the front and the rear side of the structure, he said.
According to some former hospital employees, another British-era building located behind this building has a similar structure underneath, but it was yet to be verified, said Dr Rathod.
The two buildings could be connected by a tunnel but this was only a conjecture at this point, he said.
The building under which the tunnel was found was designed by architectural executive John Adams and inaugurated on March 15, 1892. The construction cost was Rs 1,19,351, Rathod said.
The JJ Hospital campus houses several British-era heritage structures.
"We are now planning to start a heritage walk through the hospital premises," said Dr Saple.
#LIVE | The tunnel discovered underneath Mumbai's J J Hospital is 200 m long.
— Express Mumbai (@ie_mumbai) November 4, 2022
For more live updates, follow: https://t.co/xmUT28G4Dx pic.twitter.com/2FmUuol3wN
#LIVE | Dr Pallavi Saple, the dean of Mumbai's J J Hospital, said the building under which the tunnel has been discovered was once used as a medical ward to treat women and children.
— Express Mumbai (@ie_mumbai) November 4, 2022
For more live updates, follow: https://t.co/xmUT28G4Dx pic.twitter.com/F1jTrghBzM
#LIVE | Gopal Krishna Gokhale Bridge at Andheri is closed from both sides for all types of vehicles and pedestrians from November 7 onwards, till further orders.
— Express Mumbai (@ie_mumbai) November 4, 2022
For more live updates, follow: https://t.co/xmUT28G4Dx
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UP: 90 Bangladeshis, including 28 children, held in Mathura for illegal stay
Mathura (UP), May 16 (PTI): As many as 90 Bangladeshi nationals, including many children, were apprehended from Uttar Pradesh's Mathura district on Friday for alleged illegal stay in India, officials said.
They were taken into custody from local brickyards at Khajpur village under the Naujheel police station limits, a senior officer said.
"Regular searches were being conducted throughout the district. During one such operation, police were searching some local brickyards when they came across Bangladeshi nationals working there," SSP Shlok Kumar said.
Giving a break-up, the officer said in all, 35 men, 27 women and 28 children have been taken into custody.
"During interrogation, all of them admitted to being Bangladeshi nationals living illegally in India. They moved to Mathura three to four months back from a neighbouring state. Police are trying to establish their links," the SSP said, adding that their job contractor and other associates are also being questioned.
The officer told PTI that police also recovered some Aadhaar cards from the Bangladeshi nationals, apparently issued on forged documents in some other state.
Further legal proceedings are underway, Kumar said.
