What does India need to take its tunnelling to the next level?

27 Jun 2022 CW Team

One thing is clear. The past decade or so has seen a drastic change in the machinery used for tunnelling construction in India. “Whereas conventional blasting methods used to prevail, which made for very slow progress, now the most prevalent method in the Himalayan region is the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM),which helps adjust to site conditions and has significantly sped up the implementation of projects,” observes Ranvir Singh, Manager (Projects)and Contracts Management Expert (Tunnelling), PEMS Engineering Consultants. “Cost comparisons of the two prominent tunnel construction methods nowadays and geological conditions, particularly in the Himalayan region, favour the NATM overtunnel boring machines (TBMs).”

“TBMs in general haven’tbeen successful in Himalayan geology owing to heterogeneous rock strata,” agrees Col Deepak Patil, General Manager (Project), Silkyara Tunnel, National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation. “For tunnelling in the Himalayan region, India mostly uses machinesthat can perform activities associated with the NATM, such asboomers/jumbos, shotcreting, various kinds of grouting, strengtheningthe ground, rather than TBMs.”

In cities where metro projects are being implemented, TBMs are being extensively used. Going forward, to take tunnelling to the next level, we must think of tunnelling methods beyond TBMs, NATM and conventional methods, based on rock mechanics and properties, advises Dr B C Mandal, Executive Director (Technical), BPC Consultant India.

Improving techniques

To ensure that proper methods and machinery are engaged, we need geological engineers to lead tunnelling projects instead of the civil engineers who are currently at the forefront of tunnelling projects, says Dr Mandal.

To read the full version, CLICK HERE.

Real Estate

31 Oct 2025

Birla Estates Tops Global GRESB 2025 Rankings

Birla Estates (BEPL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Aditya Birla Real Estate (formerly Century Textiles and Industries Limited), has been recognised as a Sector Leader in the 2025 GRESB Real Estate Assessment, securing top honours across multiple global and regional categories.Birla Estates’ Achievements in GRESB 2025:Global Sector Leader – ResidentialGlobal Sector Leader – Non-Listed ResidentialRegional Sector Leader – Asia – ResidentialRegional Sector Leader – Non-Listed – Asia – ResidentialThese distinctions reaffirm Birla Estates’ exceptional performance in Environmental, ..

Progota India Secures RDSO Clearance for Kavach 4.0

Concord Control Systems, one of India’s leading manufacturers of embedded electronic and critical system solutions, announced that its associate company, Progota India, has received Technical Prototype Clearance from the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) for Kavach 4.0, the latest version of Indian Railways’ indigenous Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system.With this clearance, Progota has been formally approved to execute its ongoing trial order from South Central Railway, marking a key milestone in India’s railway modernization journey. The approval also establishes P..

MPS Interactive Systems Completes Full Acquisition of Liberate Group

MPS Interactive Systems (MPSi), a material subsidiary of MPS, has completed the acquisition of the remaining shareholding in the Liberate Group of Companies—comprising Liberate Learning, App-eLearn, and Liberate eLearning.With this transaction, MPSi now holds 100 per cent ownership of all entities within the Liberate Group, making them its wholly owned subsidiaries. The acquisition was executed in line with the valuation methodology defined in the original transaction documents.Commenting on the development, Rahul Arora, Chairman and CEO of MPS, said, “The corporate learning sector continu..