132-year-old tunnel uncovered at JJ Hospital in Mumbai

• A tunnel dating back 132 years was uncovered at the government-run JJ Hospital.
• The 200-meter-long tunnel was discovered beneath a former hospital unit that is currently being turned into a nursing college.
• The colonial-era tunnel was not uncovered until a hole detected on the exterior of the nursing college building led a medical officer to the basement.

A tunnel dating back 132 years was uncovered at the government-run JJ Hospital in Byculla, Mumbai. Built during the British era, the 200-meter-long tunnel was discovered beneath a former hospital unit that is currently being turned into a nursing college. The JJ Hospital tunnel’s foundation stone reveals that it was constructed in 1890.

“We inspected the nursing college building after [a] complaint of water leakage. PWD engineers and security guards surveyed the building and found 1890 mentioned on the foundation stone,” a representative informed the political party.

“Some staffers told us there may be a basement, after which we carried out further inspection and discovered the tunnel,” he explained.

In Mumbai, the nursing complex is situated on the grounds of JJ Hospital and Grant Medical College.

According to the media, Dr Pallavi Saple, dean of JJ Hospital, stated that the administration was always aware of a tunnel running beneath the nursing facility.

However, the colonial-era tunnel was not uncovered until a hole detected on the exterior of the nursing college building led a medical officer to the basement.

The Grand Medical College building’s cornerstone was laid. Two years later, in 1845, one of the oldest institutions of medicine in South Asia opened its doors.

A grant of one lakh rupees by creator and philanthropist Sir Jamshetjee Jejeebhoy resulted in the simultaneous foundation of a “School of Practice,” which was later renamed JJ Hospital. The hospital’s foundation stone was placed on January 3, 1843.

The Collector’s office and the archaeological department will then take up the exploration of the tunnel based on the information gathered during the initial investigation.

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