A mechanical failure occurred during the construction of Metro Line 2B at Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex, leading to a 400-tonne mobile crane tilting. Fortunately, there were no injuries or casualties reported. The incident took place at 4:30 a.m. while the contractor J. Kumar Infraprojects Limited was conducting overnight work.
To address the situation, senior officials from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) quickly responded to the site for the clearance of the equipment and to open the road for traffic. A 600-tonne crane is being mobilized to safely recover the toppled equipment. Traffic diversions have been put in place in coordination with the traffic police to minimize inconvenience to citizens. The MMRDA is actively working to restore regular traffic flow as soon as possible.
Basavraj MB, Director of MMRDA, stated that an investigation revealed a failure in the lifting boom of one crane, leading to the tilt caused by the load shifting to another crane. The authorities are working on rectifying the situation, with plans to reopen the road for traffic within 3-4 hours.
Following a fatal accident on the under-construction Metro Line 4 in February, where a precast concrete segment fell, resulting in casualties, the MMRDA faced criticism. The incident raised concerns about infrastructure safety, contractor oversight, and urban governance quality in the Mumbai-Thane region. Measures were taken by the MMRDA, including terminating contracts, imposing fines, and halting work on the Metro 4 corridor for safety audits across all under-construction lines.
