ABSTRACT
A considerable amount of tunnelling activity has been going on in India for various infrastructure projects such as hydroelectric power, irrigation, roads and railways. Most of these projects are located far away from the urban areas. Use of tunnelling for urban utilities such as water supply, sewerage disposal, metro rail, etc. has been resorted to only recently and some projects have been completed and some are under construction in the metropolises such as Mumbai, Calcutta and Delhi. Present status of tunnelling and its future potential in India is highlighted in the paper with greater emphasis on tunnelling projects for hydro-power developments as this sector at present is having maximum underground construction activity in India.
