Mumbai: Mayor Ritu Tawde faced an embarrassing situation on Tuesday morning after a Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) bus carrying her reportedly broke down during an official inspection tour, delaying the scheduled civic visit and once again raising concerns over the condition of Mumbai’s public transport fleet.

According to reports, Tawde was travelling as part of a pre-monsoon inspection and review tour organised by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation when the BEST bus developed a technical snag midway through the journey.

The unexpected breakdown forced civic officials, staff members and accompanying personnel to halt the tour temporarily before alternate arrangements were made to continue the inspection. A video shared by Marathi news portal Jai Maharashtra showed BEST and civic officials pushing the vehicle after it broke down midway.

BEST officials and technical teams had rushed to the spot after the bus stopped functioning. The vehicle was reportedly repaired within around 20 minutes, after which the journey resumed. No injuries or safety concerns were reported, though the incident caused disruption during the high-profile civic visit.

The episode has once again brought attention to the operational challenges faced by BEST, which has been under scrutiny in recent months over its ageing fleet, maintenance standards, delays and frequent breakdown complaints from commuters.

Meanwhile, the incident occurred on the same day the Mayor chose to travel by Mumbai’s suburban railway network as part of a symbolic public transport outreach linked to fuel-saving efforts and monsoon preparedness inspections.

Earlier in the day, Tawde travelled from Ghatkopar to Dadar in an AC local train while heading for inspections of key stormwater pumping stations, including Britannia, Lovegrove and Cleveland, which play a critical role in preventing flooding during Mumbai’s monsoon season.

Videos of the Mayor’s train journey later went viral on social media. In the clips, Tawde can be seen standing in a queue at Ghatkopar station, boarding the AC local without VIP protocol and initially travelling while standing before a fellow passenger offered her a seat.

The Mayor was also seen interacting with commuters during the journey and travelling with minimal security presence, which did not appear to disrupt fellow passengers during rush hour.

Mumbai: Municipal Corporation is using modern technology to keep the beach and the surrounding area clean. In this regard, unmanned electric boats (electric boats) have been started in the Gateway of India and Budhwar Park areas to collect floating waste in the sea. These boats collect about 80 to 90 kg of floating waste from these areas daily.

As per the instructions of Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide, various steps are being taken under the supervision of Ashwini Bhide, Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Dr. Ashwini Joshi and Deputy Commissioner (Solid Waste Management) Kiran Dighavkar.

In this context, under the guidance of Deputy Commissioner (Zone-1) Chanda Jadhav and under the leadership of Assistant Commissioner (A Division) Gajanan Belle, two unmanned electric boats have been operated in the Bharati Kendra and Budhwar Park areas of the ‘A’ Division of the Municipal Corporation. These boats are fully electric and are environment-friendly. They have a Vehicle Traffic Management System (VTMS) and a Global Positioning System (GPS), through which the navigation, working area and safety of the boat can be controlled. These boats are capable of carrying out the work of collecting floating waste at sea more efficiently and in a planned manner.

Palghar, Maharashtra: A tragic road accident took place near Dhaniwari in Palghar district on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad National Highway after a truck carrying wedding guests collided with a container vehicle on Monday.

According to preliminary information, the Eicher truck, carrying more than 100 people travelling for an engagement ceremony, rammed into a container truck, resulting in a massive crash. The impact of the collision caused both vehicles to overturn on the highway.

Officials said that at least 13 people were killed in the accident, while more than 20 to 25 others sustained serious injuries.

Local residents and police personnel rushed to the spot immediately after the incident and launched rescue operations. The injured were shifted to the Kasa Sub-District Hospital for treatment, while some critically injured passengers are likely to be referred to higher medical centres.

The accident led to heavy traffic congestion on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway for several hours as rescue and clearance work continued.

Police have begun an investigation to determine the exact cause of the accident. Further details are awaited.