3 min readMumbaiMay 1, 2026 12:48 AM IST
A day after a piling rig collapsed at a flyover construction site in Mankhurd, killing a Mumbai Police constable and throwing traffic on the Sion Panvel highway in chaos, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Thursday said work is underway to remove the remaining portion of the machine, even as the stretch continued to witness severe traffic congestion.
The incident, which occurred on the Sion–Panvel Highway near Maharashtra Nagar on Tuesday night, has disrupted traffic on one of the city’s busiest corridors linking Mumbai to Navi Mumbai and Pune. Commuters on Wednesday had reported being stuck for hours, with congestion persisting into Thursday.
The BMC said the rig was part of ongoing piling work for a flyover at the T-junction on the Sion–Panvel Highway, which will connect to the Ghatkopar–Mankhurd Link Road (GMLR). The project is aimed at easing congestion at the junction, a known bottleneck where traffic from Chembur, Govandi and Navi Mumbai converges.
Civic officials said debris clearance began immediately after the incident.
“A portion of the rig had broken and collapsed and we are moving it part by part. Around half of the debris was cleared last night and the remaining work is underway. Meanwhile, the site where the incident took place has been barricaded for security reasons, which is also contributing to the traffic congestion,” an official said.
The accident had led to chaos on the Sion Panvel Highway on Wednesday. Videos shared on social media showed long queues of vehicles stretching for kilometres.
Actor Sonali Kulkarni, who was travelling towards Pune, said she was stuck for over five hours. “We called the traffic control team, they are saying have patience, the jam is really bad and they are not sure when it will be resolved. We are stuck for five hours in one position and this is just scary,” she said in a video.
Traffic police said multiple factors contributed to the congestion.
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Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Pradeep Chavan, said, “There has been a surge in the number of vehicles as many people are going out for holidays on account of the long weekend. In addition to that, since the road is narrow at the T-junction due to infrastructure work, that has become a choke point which they are actively clearing.” He added that the machine involved in the incident had been moved aside and was not directly blocking traffic.
Preliminary findings have pointed to safety lapses during handling of the equipment. “The incident took place while the rig machine was being unloaded from the truck and prima facie finding shows while the unloading was being carried out the precautionary measures were not in place. As a result, the portion of the machine slipped and collapsed on the victim,” a BMC official said.
The civic body has initiated an inquiry and asked the contractor to submit an explanation. Officials said a report will be submitted next week and action, including penalties, will be taken if lapses are confirmed.
