A 75-year-old World War II-era bunker has resurfaced behind the Art Deco Karfule Petrol Pump in Ballard Estate, Mumbai. The Mumbai Port Trust reported the structure is intact, featuring visible staircases, and will be preserved within a new garden/food court development. This, and another 150-meter, 2016-discovered bunker at Raj Bhavan, highlight Mumbai's wartime history.
Key Details of the Ballard Estate Bunker:
Location: Situated behind the Karfule Petrol Station on S.S. Ramgulam Marg, Ballard Estate, Fort.
Status: The structure is firmly intact, though lower sections are sealed to prevent misuse.
Preservation: Site engineers confirmed it will not be destroyed, with plans to integrate it into a green space/food court area.
Significance: It serves as a reminder of Mumbai's role in World War II.
Another, separate, 150-meter-long British-era bunker discovered in 2016 at Raj Bhavan on Malabar Hill has already been converted into a virtual reality museum.
Discovered in August 2016 when a temporary wall was pulled down, this massive underground structure had been sealed for nearly 60 years.
Details: The bunker spans 15,000 square feet and is 150 meters long.
Structure: It contains 13 rooms with historic labels like "Shell Store," "Gun Shell," and "Cartridge Store," suggesting it was used as an ammunition depot.
Purpose: Believed to have been built before World War I (though often associated with WWII defense) to protect the Governor's residence from naval attacks.
Current Use: It now houses the Kranti Gatha gallery, a museum dedicated to Indian revolutionaries from Maharashtra.
Visiting: Open to the public via prior online booking through the Raj Bhavan website.
2.
Ballard Estate WWII Bunker
A recently rediscovered World War II-era bunker has surfaced in the Ballard Estate (Fort) area during redevelopment.
Location: Tucked behind the Art Deco Karfule petrol pump on SS Ramgulam Marg.
Status: The structure is over 75 years old and remains largely intact with visible staircases leading underground.
Future: The surrounding land is being developed into an entertainment hub and food court, but officials plan to keep the bunker intact as a garden feature.
3. Other Known Locations
Smaller bunkers and wartime relics are scattered across the city, though most are not open to the public:
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