BMC fines contractor Rs 1 crore after fatal rig collapse on Sion-Panvel Highway | Mumbai News
2 min readMay 1, 2026 05:41 PM IST
Two days after a construction rig collapsed at Maharashtra Nagar in Mankhurd, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Friday imposed a ₹1 crore penalty on the contractor responsible for the piling work at the site. The April 29 incident had led to the death of a police constable and triggered a massive traffic congestion on the Sion–Panvel Highway.
Civic officials said a preliminary inquiry found clear safety lapses at the site. “The rig toppled while being unloaded because the truck was parked on an uneven surface. Such heavy machinery must be handled on stable ground. This was a direct failure on the contractor’s part,” an official said.
The accident not only claimed a life but also crippled traffic along one of Mumbai’s busiest arterial routes linking the city to Navi Mumbai and Pune. Following the collapse, debris spilled onto the carriageway, forcing authorities to barricade sections of the road. This led to long queues and slow-moving traffic for hours, with peak-hour commuters bearing the brunt.
The Sion–Panvel Highway, already under pressure due to ongoing infrastructure works, witnessed severe bottlenecks through Tuesday night till Thursday. Motorists reported significant delays, with traffic diversions and narrowed lanes worsening congestion near the accident site.
Police constable Santosh Gopal Chavan (48) was killed when a portion of the piling rig fell on him around 9.45 pm near the Tata Power House junction as he was returning home to Nerul after duty in Chembur.
The rig was part of ongoing piling work for a flyover at the T-junction on the Sion–Panvel Highway, a project aimed at improving connectivity to the Ghatkopar–Mankhurd Link Road (GMLR). Officials said the machine involved was a heavy-duty rig used to drill deep foundations.
Despite the fatal accident and disruption, the BMC has decided not to revoke the contractor’s work order, citing concerns over delays to the infrastructure project. Officials confirmed that debris at the site was cleared by Wednesday evening and traffic movement has since normalised.
