The first tunnel boring machine (TBM) deployed for Phase 3(B) of the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR) project has completed nine metres of excavation, marking a key milestone in construction of twin tunnels beneath the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. Under Phase 3(B), twin three-lane tunnels are being constructed over a five point three kilometre stretch between Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari in Goregaon East and Amar Nagar in Mulund West. The work forms part of the wider GMLR east-west connectivity scheme intended to ease traffic movement across the city. The tunnel boring machine named Tulsi was commissioned on 17 August and began operations in mid-August, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said. Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijit Bangar visited and inspected the project site to review tunnelling methodology, ongoing excavation work, project progress and related technical aspects. Chief Engineer (Bridges) Rajesh Mule and other officials and consultants accompanied the inspection. During the visit Bangar reviewed measures planned to ensure safety during tunnelling and assessed operational efficiency of the machinery and construction quality while directing officials to maintain the pace of excavation and deploy additional manpower where required. He also stressed that tunnelling is a highly technical and challenging operation and directed officials to accord the highest priority to workers' safety and to strictly enforce all safety regulations. The civic body reported that 70 per cent of assembly work for components of the second TBM has been completed and officials were instructed to complete the assembly by 30 September 2026. Once the second machine is fully installed at the project site the Site Acceptance Test (SAT) will commence from one October to physically verify efficient and safe functioning of the machinery and to ensure that all systems operate together properly before actual tunnel excavation is planned. The GMLR is a major east-west connectivity project aimed at improving links between Goregaon and Mulund and easing traffic movement across Mumbai, and the civic authority said progress on tunnelling is central to timely delivery of the scheme.