Navi Mumbai, Nov 22: After close to 12 hours of operation, the tanker filled with tar that overturned on Friday was finally cleared from the Nerul–Uran road, bringing relief to thousands of motorists who were stuck in day-long congestion.

The tanker, carrying highly flammable liquid bitumen from Chembur to Uran, had overturned near Ekta Vihar Society around 6.30 am, choking traffic on the busy stretch for several hours. Although police managed to allow movement through a single lane, vehicles headed towards Uran crawled through the day, leaving commuters frustrated.

According to officials, the driver lost control of the tanker, causing it to topple in the middle of the road. Senior Police Inspector Pramod Bhosale of the Belapur Traffic Division and his team rushed to the spot along with the fire brigade soon after the accident.

With the bitumen inside the tanker at a temperature of nearly 180°C, there was a significant risk of ignition, prompting the fire brigade to launch cooling operations and prevent any spillage on the road. The tar was carefully transferred to another tanker over several hours.

By around 5 pm, a crane was used to lift and remove the overturned vehicle, allowing authorities to restore normal traffic flow, Bhosale said.

The Nerul–Uran route, which sees heavy movement of JNPT-bound trucks as well as routine traffic to the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation headquarters, remained clogged for most of the day. Many motorists were stuck in long queues, bearing the brunt of the prolonged congestion caused by the accident.

New Delhi, Nov 22: India’s top industry bodies and staffing leaders on Saturday labelled the implementation of the Four Labour Codes a landmark step toward formalising the workforce, expanding social security, and aligning India’s labour framework with global standards.

The India Electronics & Semiconductor Association (IESA) said the reforms would significantly benefit the high-technology sectors by enhancing workforce stability, improving safety standards, and enabling labour flexibility with social protection.

“Mandatory appointment letters, universal minimum wages, and pan-India social security coverage (including ESIC expansion) ensure greater formalisation. This strengthens worker confidence — critical for skill-intensive manufacturing such as fabs, ATMP, component manufacturing and design centres,” said Ashok Chandak, President, IESA and SEMI India.

Provisions for fixed-term employment, faster dispute resolution, single licensing, and simplified compliance directly support the scaling of high-tech manufacturing clusters, the statement said.

Meanwhile, parity of benefits for Fixed-Term Employees (FTE) and expanded social security protections ensure a balanced, worker-centric ecosystem, he added.

Sachin Alug, CEO of NLB Services, a technology and digital talent provider, said the reforms were long overdue for India’s gig economy and will offer protection to a fast-growing but previously unorganised workforce.

The new laws are also expected to promote gender parity in the workforce by opening doors to wider opportunities across diverse sectors. Additionally, other groups such as”

He also pointed out that new laws will promote gender parity and contract workers, youth workers, and fixed-term employees will benefit from clearer working-hour norms, expanded social security, minimum wage protections, and health benefits.

“By simplifying compliance and unifying the regulatory framework, the codes can significantly expand formal employment, bringing millions of workers, especially in industries that rely on contract, temporary, and project-based roles, into the fold of structured, protected work,” said Balasubramanian A, Senior Vice President, TeamLease Services.

“National floor minimum wage creates a consistent benchmark across states and is an important step in India’s evolution from a minimum-wage economy to a living-wage economy,” he noted.

Suchita Dutta, Executive Director of Indian Staffing Federation (ISF), said the codes simplify compliance for employers, reduce regulatory burdens, and foster a more flexible hiring environment — crucial for the staffing industry, which has long advocated for such changes to unlock formal job creation.

The government, on November 21, implemented the Four Labour Codes — the Code on Wages (2019), Industrial Relations Code (2020), Code on Social Security (2020), and Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSHWC) Code (2020) — repealing and rationalising 29 existing central labour laws.

Mumbai: A massive fire broke out at Dharavi near the Mahim Railway Station today, November 22. According to several reports, atleast two blast were heard. As the fire broke close to the railway tracks, Media reported that train services hit services on the Western Railway were hit.

Citing a Western Railway Spokesperson, the daily added that five trains have been regulated between Mahin and Bandra stations.