India, Jan. 26 -- Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis will unveil on Republic Day the restored 89-year-old turntable ladder fire engine which was used during the devastating 1944 dock explosion and several other major fire incidents in the city.

The fire engine was preserved as a relic at the Mumbai Fire Brigade headquarters in Byculla after it became non-operational. Recognising its historical significance, municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani proposed its restoration, which was undertaken with the support of industrialist Gautam Singhania, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said in a media statement.

Manufactured by Leyland in England in 1937, the turn-table ladder was added to the Mumbai Fire Brigade fleet in 1941 and served...