Mumbai: A major accident was reported in Mumbai’s Mulund West on Saturday, February 14, after a large concrete slab from Mumbai Metro Line 4 collapsed onto vehicles on LBS Marg, near the Johnson & Johnson and Oberoi premises. Though there are no immediate reports of fatalities, but some people are feared to have sustained injuries.

Meanwhile, this accident came just a few days after an MMRDA fact-checked a social media user on X who had warned about the cracks on the slab near Mulund’s LBS Marg. “Don’t wait for a tragedy to cry. Report it. Repost it. Make it reach the authorities. Big Crack spotted on Metro Pillar – Mulund”

Though it is not known if the same slab collapsed, the question arises as MMRDA had assured safety and said, “The structure is safe and structurally sound, and there is no cause for concern.”

In an official post on X, it said, “The structure seen in this post is a beam over Portal Pier P189 on LBS Marg, Mulund (West), where a precast beam segment connects with a cast-in-situ portion over the pier. A construction joint at this location is a normal and approved engineering practice. During concreting, foam sheets were temporarily used to seal shutter gaps and prevent leakage of cement slurry. What appeared in the photographs were remnants of this foam material, not structural cracks.”

“These remnants were identified, removed, and surface-finished by grinding during the night of 07 February 2026 (Saturday). The structure is safe and structurally sound, and there is no cause for concern,” it had said.

Slamming the X user, MMRDA warned, “the post seems to either be a misguided or a deliberate attempt to spread panic. Requesting people not to spread misinformation and panic. Also flagging off the post for spreading misinformation.”

Mumbai: Mumbaikars travelling on Sunday are likely to face delays and cancellations as Central and Western Railways have announced scheduled maintenance blocks across key suburban corridors. Commuters have been advised to plan their journeys in advance and check updated timetables before stepping out.

On the Western Railway, a jumbo block will be carried out between Ram Mandir and Borivali on the Up Fast line and the fifth line from 10 am to 2 pm. During this period, Up Fast line local trains will be diverted to the sixth line, while trains on the fifth line will be operated on the Down Fast line. Some Harbour line services will run only up to Goregaon station. Officials said that due to these changes, several services are expected to run late, and passengers travelling to affected stations should consider using Harbour line services or alternative modes of transport.

Meanwhile, Central Railway will undertake a mega block between Matunga and Mulund stations on both the Up and Down lines from 11.05 am to 3.45 pm. During the block period, fast line services in both directions will be diverted to the slow lines. Railway officials said that the diversion will lead to cancellation of some services, while others may run with delays of up to 20 minutes.

In addition, a separate block has been announced on the Harbour line between Kurla and Vashi from 11.10 am to 4.10 pm. During this time, all Up and Down services between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Vashi–Belapur–Panvel will remain cancelled. To reduce inconvenience, special local trains will operate between CSMT and Kurla, and between Panvel and Vashi. Services between Thane and Vashi or Nerul will continue as per the regular schedule.

Railway authorities said the blocks are essential for maintenance and infrastructure safety, and urged passengers to stay updated through official announcements and plan their travel accordingly.

Mumbai: Calling the civic body’s stand a “lame excuse” and a “complete abdication of its powers”, the Bombay High Court on Friday came down heavily on the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for failing to act against encroachments on a busy road in suburban Powai.

A bench of Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Abhay Mantri said the corporation was statutorily bound to discharge its duties and could not adopt a position that effectively appeased encroachers.

“We are surprised by the stand taken by the BMC, which is really astounding. The stand of the BMC amounts to virtually giving up that area to encroachers,” the bench observed.

The court was hearing a petition filed by Beaumont HFSI School and its principal, Kalyani Patnaik, alleging that despite repeated complaints, the BMC failed to remove slum dwellers occupying a road near the institute. The petitioners claimed the civic body instead facilitated the encroachments by providing toilets and water.

On Thursday, the court had directed the BMC to file an affidavit submitting a plan for removal of the encroachments. It had also directed the Assistant Municipal Commissioner (AMC) of the concerned ward to remain present in court for the hearing on Friday.

Accordingly, the AMC was present and an affidavit was filed, wherein it stated only that the mobile toilets would be removed within 48 hours. There was “not a whisper” about a plan for removal of the encroachers.

In its affidavit, the BMC maintained that the stretch was a private road owned by a developer and therefore beyond its enforcement authority.

Rejecting the justification, the bench said the explanation reflected that the civic body lacked the “will, desire, courage or means” to deal with the problem.

The judges noted that the road was extensively used for public and vehicular passage. They questioned how such a “private road”, used extensively by the public, could escape civic responsibility merely because of ownership.

“We know the law — we want you to implement the law,” the court told the BMC.

Senior advocate Naushad Engineer, appearing for the petitioners, argued that statutory provisions required the corporation to ensure smooth vehicular and pedestrian passage on all streets used by citizens, including private roads.

He submitted that the builder had constructed the road and handed it over to the BMC. He further argued that even if it were a private road, and citizens complained about encroachments to the BMC, the builder would not have the authority to remove them.

Expressing dissatisfaction over the absence of a clear timeline in the affidavit, the bench remarked, “Mumbai is being surrendered to encroachers… This is complete abdication of powers.”

In its detailed order, the court noted that after the “marathon” hearing on Thursday, it had asked the BMC to provide a plan for removal of the encroachments, which the civic body failed to comply with.

The court directed the Municipal Commissioner to submit, within 10 days, a concrete plan to remove the encroachments, cautioning that it should not be an “eyewash”.

It also ordered the removal of mobile toilet units from the road within 48 hours and warned that continued inaction could invite contempt proceedings.