Mumbai's 240-year-old St George’s tunnel could be used by robbers: RBI

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has expressed concerns about an 18th century tunnel originating beneath St George’s Hospital in Fort, with known exits at the Gateway, Blue Gate and Churchgate, saying the passage could be used for a robbery or a terror attack.

In a letter to the hospital’s medical superintendent, RBI chief general manager Gautam Prasad Borah has also cited the threat of a cave-in and sought permission to inspect the tunnel with the help of the Geological Survey of India. Mirror has a copy of the letter.


There is no indication the 1.5-km tunnel, which was created by the British for the movement of soldiers and arms and ammunition, leads to the RBI complex in Fort. But officials want to map its entire path to be sure there are no hidden sections or exits. A Mirror team had photographed the over 240-year-old underground passage in June 2010. Until then, its existence had not been reported, though it had been a constant source of curiosity for staff members and patients.

The tunnel’s only known entrance is located right in the middle of ward 5 of St George’s and is covered by a wooden hatch. The tunnel is filled with muck and seawater.

“Existence of such tunnels within the compound of Reserve Bank of India, even in closed/sealed state, poses a grave threat to the nation’s treasure. The tunnels, if any, need to be localised and appropriately secured to thwart any danger from outside entities,” Borah has said in the letter, which was dispatched last year.

He listed the reasons for concern: “loss of life and property due to future cave-ins”, “usage of the tunnels to carry out robbery”, “utilisation of tunnels by terrorist or subversive elements to launch attack”, and “danger to building structure and its pilings”. He added that drug addicts, criminals or Naxalites could access the passage.

Dr Madhukar Gaikwad, medical superintendent of St George’s Hospital, confirmed receiving the RBI request. “Yes, they have written to me, but since the tunnel is a heritage structure, I cannot take the call on my own. I need to consult the director of Directorate of Medical Education and Research,” he said, adding he had forwarded the letter to the officials concerned.

TP Lahane, joint director of the Directorate of Medical Education and Research, told Mirror the state archaeology department’s opinion had been sought. “We cannot grant any permission directly because of heritage conservation rules,” he said.

In the letter, Borah has said that the tunnel would be mapped with the help of a ground-penetrating radar, which would not cause any damage to the tunnel.

Alpana Killawala, chief general manager of RBI’s department of communication, didn’t respond to Mirror’s call and email.