Thane: A massive fire broke out in the Bhiwandi area of Maharashtra’s Thane district on Sunday night, February 23, causing chaos and disruption. The blaze erupted near Vedant Hospital at Vanjarpatti Naka around 10:30 pm, engulfing an auto parts shop and leading an immediate emergency response.

Two fire tenders and local police arrived swiftly to tackle the raging flames. Visuals of the blaze surfaced on the internet. As the fire spread, vehicular traffic was severely affected, leading to traffic jams in the Vanjarpatti Naka area. The Bhiwandi Nizampur Municipal Corporation (BNMC) dispatched five additional fire engines to aid in firefighting operations.

Fire Doused Off After 4 Hours

After several hours of intense efforts, the fire was brought under control by 2 am on Monday. Cooling operations continued into the morning to prevent any rekindling of the flames. An official from the BNMC’s fire control services confirmed that an investigation was underway to determine the exact cause of the fire.

Another Major Fire Reported Just Days Before

Just days before, on Wednesday, February 19, another major fire erupted at a logistics company godown in Bhiwandi, leading to the widespread destruction of stored goods, including perfumes and cardboards. The blaze broke out around 4:30 am at the godown near Yevai Naka on the Mumbai-Nashik Highway.

Civic officials from the BNMC stated that, fortunately, no casualties were reported in this incident. However, the fire caused major material losses as it consumed the warehouse’s contents. Firefighters battled the flames for several hours, finally bringing the situation under control by 1 pm.

The cause of this fire is also under investigation, as authorities seek to understand whether it was due to an accident, negligence, or other factors.

These back-to-back incidents have raised concerns among residents and local authorities about fire safety measures in Bhiwandi. The area, known for its warehouses and commercial hubs, may require stricter safety protocols and inspections to prevent such dangerous events in the future.

Mumbai: MNS chief Raj Thackeray met his cousin and Shiv Sena (UBT) head Uddhav Thackeray at a wedding function in Mumbai, raising speculation that they might be keen on resolving their political differences ahead of civic polls in Maharashtra.

The politically estranged cousins were seen together on Sunday evening at the wedding of the son of Mahendra Kalyankar, a government official, in Andheri area here.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) Raj Thackeray met the former state chief minister and the latter’s wife Rashmi Thackeray at the event, amid rumours of a rift in both the ruling Mahayuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) camps.

Political observers said there is a possibility of the MNS and Sena (UBT) wishing to resolve their political differences in view of the civic body elections, including the cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, due in the state. The schedule for the civic polls has not yet been announced.

This was the third public meeting between the cousins in the last two months, further intensifying speculation of a thaw in ties between the two parties.

Raj Thackeray quit the Shiv Sena (then undivided) in 2005 and floated his own party the next year.

In the last year’s elections to the 288-member Maharashtra assembly, the Shiv Sena (UBT), which is part of the opposition MVA, won 20 seats, while the MNS drew a blank.

Mumbai: Central Railway announced a major change in the UP and Down fast local trains in the Central route for February 23. Meanwhile, Western Railway also announced a major mega block on the line. The jumbo block is carried out for maintenance work on signals and tracks, which will lead to rerouting and delays in train schedules.

Central Railway Rerouting Details

On the Thane to Kalyan route, Down Fast and Semi-Fast local trains departing from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) Mumbai will be diverted to the Down Slow line between Thane and Kalyan stations. These trains will have additional halts at Kalva, Mumbra, and Diva stations, which will result in a delay of approximately 10 minutes in reaching their destinations.

Similarly, Up Fast and Semi-Fast trains departing from Kalyan towards CSMT will be rerouted onto the Up Slow line between Kalyan and Thane stations. They will also halt at Diva, Mumbra, and Kalva before merging onto the Up Fast line at Mulund station, causing a delay of around 10 minutes.

Western Railway’s Five-Hour Jumbo Block

On the Western line, a significant five-hour Jumbo Block has been scheduled on February 23, between Santacruz and Goregaon stations. From 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, both Up and Down Fast lines due to maintenance work of tracks, signalling systems, and overhead equipment.

Trans-Harbour Line

According to railway officials, there will be no block on the Uran and Harbour routes.

However, services on the Trans-Harbour line will be temporarily suspended. Up Trans-Harbour services from Panvel, Nerul, and Vashi towards Thane starting with the 10:25 AM departure from Vashi and the 4:09 PM departure from Nerul will remain non-operational. Likewise, Down Trans-Harbour services from Thane to Vashi, Nerul, and Panvel, running from 10:35 AM to 4:07 PM, will also be suspended during this period.