Mumbai: Panic gripped commuters on Thursday morning after a Maruti Swift Dzire taxi suddenly caught fire inside the southbound tunnel of the newly inaugurated Mumbai Coastal Road around 9 am. Within minutes, thick smoke engulfed the tunnel, forcing motorists to halt mid-way. Fire brigade teams rushed to the spot and managed to douse the flames by 9:36 am, but the car was completely gutted. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. Traffic inside the tunnel resumed around 10:30 am.
The taxi driver, Pramod Rajkumar Dwivedi (49), working with Maitri Tours & Travels, was behind the wheel at the time of the incident. The vehicle owner has been identified as Raju Mahadev Gaikwad. The burnt vehicle has been moved to Malabar Hill Police Station for further investigation.
In the immediate aftermath, the Mumbai Traffic Police closed vehicular movement in both directions of the tunnel and diverted traffic via Haji Ali and the Worli Connector, leading to massive congestion across central and south Mumbai. Heavy jams were reported at multiple junctions along the Coastal Road.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Anil Kumbhare confirmed the incident, stated, “A car caught fire inside the southbound Coastal Road tunnel. Traffic was diverted at Haji Ali and the Worli connector. Motorists are being advised accordingly.”
This marks the first incident of a car catching fire inside the Coastal Road tunnel since its opening. To strengthen fire safety, the BMC has proposed building two dedicated fire stations along the stretch, including one behind Poonam Chambers. Although the tendering process has been completed, construction has yet to begin.
Commuters faced severe delays, particularly in the Worli-to-sea tunnel stretch, with bumper-to-bumper traffic reported well into the late morning. Commuters Raise Safety Concerns. Regular commuter M. Hiranandani said
“This is an eye-opener. There is an urgent need for electronic signboards along the Coastal Road to inform drivers of roadblocks ahead so they can exit accordingly. This is international standard practice. While the blaze was controlled quickly, it left motorists shaken and caused massive jams.”
According to M.M. Swami, Chief Engineer of BMC’s Coastal Road department, “The taxi bore a yellow number plate (permit vehicle). As soon as the incident was reported, our Quick Response Team (QRT) and a towing vehicle from the Coastal Road control room were dispatched. The driver had exited the vehicle before the fire escalated. The QRT extinguished the blaze and the car was towed away. Traffic was cleared within an hour. No injuries were reported.” Malbar Hill Police are investigating the cause of the fire, while BMC officials assured stricter safety measures in the future.
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