A 12-tonne steel reinforcement cage being prepared for an under-construction elevated road pier collapsed onto a moving sedan on the Eastern Express Highway in Thane on Saturday afternoon, narrowly avoiding a potentially fatal accident and prompting the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to impose a Rs 2-crore penalty on the contractor.
The incident occurred at about 2pm on the Mumbai-bound carriageway near the Kopri railway bridge. The steel cage was intended to form part of a pier for the Anand Nagar-Saket elevated road, a major project being executed under the MMRDA.
According to eyewitnesses cited in the report, a loud creaking sound was heard before the tall network of steel rods buckled over the highway. The cage struck a passing car, ripping open part of its roof and damaging the windshield. The vehicle was carrying the driver and a female passenger.
The driver told the media that he initially believed a stone had fallen and stopped immediately after the impact. He said he suffered a minor head injury and that his passenger was also slightly injured, although she did not require medical intervention. The MMRDA, however, said that no injuries had been reported.
A Naupada police team contacted the driver after reaching the site. Police said the occupants declined to file a complaint, and an entry was made in the station diary. The account leaves the incident recorded by the police while the authority and the occupants differ on the extent of injuries.
The collapse took place on one of the region’s busiest traffic corridors, where vehicles continue to pass close to active construction zones. The cage fell on the Mumbai-bound side of the highway, raising immediate questions about how heavy reinforcement assemblies are secured, lifted and monitored while work is carried out beside live traffic.
Following the incident, the MMRDA announced a Rs 2-crore fine on the contractor and ordered a detailed investigation into the collapse. The authority said it viewed the incident with “utmost seriousness” and described such occurrences as unacceptable. It added that any lapse in construction safety would not be tolerated and that corrective measures would be enforced to prevent a recurrence.
The episode comes after a quality-related issue was reported at the Kasarwadavli flyover, which was shut a year after its inauguration, according to the report. That earlier disruption and the latest collapse have renewed scrutiny of construction quality and safety controls on infrastructure projects across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
The MMRDA’s investigation and the corrective measures ordered after the collapse are expected to establish how the 12-tonne cage became unstable and whether construction activity on the elevated road will require additional safety controls around moving traffic.
