Mumbai: A fire broke out in scrap materials kept under the bridge outside the Byculla railway station on Friday morning, sending up thick plumes of smoke that were captured in a video shared widely on social media. The footage, recorded from a moving car and posted on X (formerly Twitter), showed smoke engulfing a section of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Road and briefly reducing visibility for motorists.

The blaze was reported at 10.02 am in scrap material stored beneath the bridge, directly opposite the Byculla police station. The Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) quickly deployed fire engines to the spot and the flames were extinguished by 10.14 am, just 12 minutes after the emergency call.

Authorities confirmed there were no injuries in the incident. Traffic movement, which had slowed due to drifting smoke, returned to normal soon after firefighting operations concluded. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, and civic officials are examining whether improper storage or accidental ignition triggered the blaze.

The video has sparked concerns about the recurring risk posed by scrap piles and waste material often left unattended under bridges and along major roads.

Today’s incident comes close on the heels of another blaze earlier this week in Kurla West, where a damaged gas pipeline burst during excavation work conducted with a JCB machine on November 19. The sudden leak resulted in a fire on the ground floor of a four-storey residential building in LIG Colony. Four fire engines were rushed to the spot, and while no casualties were reported, the blaze triggered panic among residents.

Mumbai: A sessions court has convicted Guljar alias Chand Shaikh, a resident of Antop Hill, for culpable homicide not amounting to murder after he stabbed Imtiaz alias Raju, who was trying to intervene and resolve a scuffle. The victim succumbed to multiple stab injuries.

The court held that since there was no intention to kill, charges of murder cannot be invoked. It observed, “the act of the accused does not fall under section 302 IPC, as the intention to cause death is not established beyond reasonable doubt. However, the accused had the knowledge that their act was likely to cause death.”

Shaikh has been sentenced to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment, while his siblings Fatima, Sadam, Arif and their mother Sabira have been awarded three years’ rigorous imprisonment each for the same offence.

The case, registered with Ghatkopar police in 2015 by the deceased’s brother Abdul Khan, stemmed from an extramarital affair between Jafar Kadar Ali Sayyad and Fatima. On March 12, 2015, a quarrel erupted; Fatima’s brothers assaulted Jafar, Fatima threw chilli powder, and when Imtiaz tried to pacify the situation, Chand stabbed him. Days earlier, on March 8, 2015, Chand had threatened Jafar and Imtiaz.

Relying on eyewitness testimonies, the court convicted the family but ruled out murder charges.

Mumbai: Following directives of the deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, the BMC has begun repairing Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC)-maintained bridges on the Eastern Express Highway (EEH) and the Western Express Highway (WEH). It has allocated about Rs. 62.50 crore for mastic-layer work on EEH bridges and around Rs 73.80 crore for repairs on WEH bridges.

After facing widespread public anger this monsoon over pothole-ridden MSRDC flyovers, the BMC intervened to fill the craters despite not being responsible for their maintenance.

To prevent a similar crisis next monsoon, the civic body has decided to fully resurface several such flyovers across the city, following a communication from MSRDC permitting the BMC to undertake the work, said civic sources. Last week, Shinde took a review meeting and directed to carry out resurfacing work on both the highways.

On Thursday, the BMC invited tenders for resurfacing and repair work on flyovers along the EEH and WEH. A civic official said the project includes not just resurfacing but also crack sealing, new lane markings, and pedestrian pathway repairs.

Extensive work is planned on the Ghatkopar, Mankhurd, Vikhroli, and Thane-bound bridges on the EEH. In addition to mastic resurfacing, storm-water drain repairs, footpath restoration, and chamber-level adjustments will be carried out.

Although potholes were patched during the monsoon, full resurfacing is needed for long-term durability, as heavy traffic erodes mastic asphalt and creates uneven surfaces.

“For BMC flyovers, repairs are done during the defect-liability period or by the civic body. Since MSRDC hasn’t carried out resurfacing and potholes may return, the BMC will do the work on its behalf,” the official said.