Navi Mumbai, May 13: Eight devotees were injured after a mini bus travelling from Murbad to Jejuri overturned at a dangerous curve on the Mumbai–Pune National Highway (NH-48) near the HOC bridge around 8:15 am on Wednesday.

The injured were first taken to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Khopoli Municipal Hospital and later shifted to MGM Hospital in Panvel for further treatment.

The accident involved a Force mini bus (MH-06-BW-4030) driven by Bharat Ramesh Shelke (28), a resident of Shelke Pada in Murbad, Thane district. The bus, carrying devotees, was heading towards Jejuri when the driver allegedly lost control on a downhill curve, causing the vehicle to overturn.

The injured have been identified as Kamalabai Ramchandra Mali (70), Gurunath Dongre (60), Balaram Bhoir (65), Ravindra Ram Mali (45), Gulabbai Dattu Humne (85), Ashok Jayaram Dongre (60), Kasturi Ganesh Mali (15), and Meenabai Gurunath Dongre. All the injured are residents of Shelke Pada in Murbad taluka.

Teams from the Borghat Highway Traffic Police, IRB patrolling unit, Delta Force, Maharashtra Security Force, along with ambulances from Lokmanya Hospital and Swamini services, and members of Help Foundation, rushed to the spot and carried out a rescue operation, safely evacuating the injured passengers.

“The driver lost control of the vehicle at a sharp turn, leading to the accident. The injured were immediately rescued and shifted for medical treatment. Further investigation is underway,” said Police Inspector Sachin Hire of Khopoli Police Station.

Traffic on the highway was restored after the damaged vehicle was moved aside, and police have initiated further investigation into the incident.

Mumbai commuters travelling late on Friday night and early Saturday morning are likely to face disruptions as Western Railway will undertake a major maintenance block at Dadar station.

The block will be carried out on the slow up and down suburban lines from 12 midnight to 5 am on May 15 and 16, 2026. Railway officials said the engineering work is necessary for infrastructure maintenance and passenger safety.

During the block period, slow local trains will be diverted to fast lines between Mumbai Central and Mahim stations. These trains will not halt at Mahalaxmi, Lower Parel, Prabhadevi and Matunga Road stations.

Western Railway has also announced cancellation of multiple suburban services during the maintenance work.

Among the cancelled late night services on May 15 are train numbers 91023 from Churchgate to Bhayandar, 91029 from Churchgate to Goregaon, 91039 from Churchgate to Andheri and 91049 from Churchgate to Borivali.

Several early morning services on May 16 will also remain cancelled, including train number 90007A from Borivali to Bhayandar, 90015 from Churchgate to Borivali and 92009 from Dahanu Road to Virar.

In the up direction, services such as 90946 from Goregaon to Churchgate, 90998 from Borivali to Churchgate and 90002 from Andheri to Churchgate will remain cancelled.

Apart from cancellations, some suburban services will be short terminated or short originated during the maintenance period.

Railway authorities have requested passengers to check train schedules before travelling and cooperate during the block hours. Detailed information regarding affected services has been made available at station managers’ and station masters’ offices across the suburban network.

Western Railway also expressed regret over the inconvenience caused to commuters due to the essential engineering works.

Mumbai: Following the Maharashtra Government’s decision to crack down on unauthorised bike taxi and app-based transport services operating across the state, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi launched a sharp attack on the Mahayuti government, accusing it of hypocrisy over public transport policies and the handling of aggregator platforms such as Ola, Uber and Rapido.

Taking to X, Chaturvedi criticised the state government’s move to initiate strict action against bike taxi operators while Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been urging citizens to rely more on public transport and reduce fuel consumption amid ongoing global economic uncertainties.

In her post, Chaturvedi said that on one hand, the Prime Minister is appealing to people to use public transport, while on the other, the Maharashtra Government is allegedly trying to shut down available commuting options for citizens. She further claimed that commuters in the state are already dealing with reducing BEST bus services, deteriorating interstate transport buses and overcrowded transit infrastructure, and are now witnessing app-based services being labelled as illegal.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader also took a swipe at Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik, alleging inconsistency in the government’s stand on Rapido operations in the state. Referring to an earlier controversy surrounding bike taxi services, Chaturvedi claimed that Rapido had previously been banned by the same minister, but the decision was allegedly withdrawn after the company sponsored his Dahi Handi event.

The remarks come after the Maharashtra Transport Department intensified its stand against unauthorised bike taxi operations functioning without formal approval in the state. Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has reportedly written to the cyber crime department seeking immediate action against app-based bike taxi platforms including Ola, Uber and Rapido.

The tweet comes in after the transport department demanded the shutdown of unauthorised bike taxi app services and the registration of FIRs against the owners and operators of the respective companies. The Transport Commissioner has also separately written to the cyber crime department regarding the matter.

The state government has maintained that several passenger transport services are operating without valid permissions, licences or compliance with transport department regulations. Authorities have raised concerns that the increasing presence of unauthorised bike taxi operators poses a serious risk from the perspective of commuter safety and regulatory oversight.

The issue has once again triggered a wider political debate over urban mobility, public transport infrastructure and the role of app-based transport aggregators in cities like Mumbai, where lakhs of commuters rely daily on affordable last-mile connectivity options.