MUMBAI, May 19 -- The Mumbai traffic police have inducted 43 cranes into their fleet to swiftly remove stalled vehicles from city roads. The funds for the cranes have come from the department's Road Safety Fund. The traffic department took this step on account of the choc-a-bloc traffic across Mumbai roads on any given day, a situation that turns chaotic if a vehicle breaks down during peak hours. On Thursday, several breakdowns across the city forced their hand. In the morning, a BEST bus broke down at M K Road near Marine Lines Station at around 8.33 am. Another one stalled at 9 am at Slip Road in Vakola, Santacruz East, fouling up traffic in the area. The problem was solved at 9.30 am. On the same day at 9.22 am, a BEST bus broke down at the Chembur check naka, creating traffic issues till the bus was shifted to the side at 3.28 pm. At 9.24 am, a BMC dumper broke down at Bhoiwada near Dadar, and was moved only at 1.20 pm. Three hours later, a BEST Bus again broke down near Vakola, causing a traffic jam near Panbai School. The problem was resolved at 12.42 pm, after which traffic resumed. BEST PRO Sudas Sawant said that the public transport undertaking had 2,571 buses, of which 1,100 were on a wet lease or contract. "It is the responsibility of contractors to maintain the buses," he said. "If they fail to do this and the bus malfunctions, we penalise them up to Rs 20,000, deducting the amount from the monthly pay. If a bus stalls, we send our hydraulic cranes and remove the vehicle from the roads with the help of the traffic police." Mumbai traffic officials pointed out that this was the situation on city roads almost every day, with just one stalled vehicle leading to the traffic of an entire region collapsing. According to traffic department data, in 2024, 839 vehicle breakdowns were recorded on the city's roads, which, along with fires in vehicles, created enormous delays for commuters during peak hours. Cars led the list with 240 breakdowns, followed by 142 tempos and 131 BEST buses. Other vehicles included private buses, trucks, dumpers, cement mixers and tankers. Traffic police officers said that when a heavy vehicle breakdown was reported, they called the BMC for a hydraulic crane, as towing away heavy vehicles was impossible. The problem, they said, would escalate if an electric bus broke down since the tyres of electric buses auto-lock, making it impossible to tow them away. However, Sawant said that there was a button in electric buses that unlocked the tyres so that they could be moved. "Traffic is affected for over two hours if a heavy vehicle breaks down in the middle of the road, causing a bottleneck," said Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Anil Kumbhare. "Waiting for a crane to arrive and then shifting the vehicle to the side of the road takes at least an hour. The problem worsens during the monsoon. That's why we have acquired the cranes-heavy vehicles that stall on the road can be removed immediately without waiting for the BEST or BMC hydraulic cranes." Kumbhare confirmed that the new cranes had been deployed as part of the first phase and would be distributed across various traffic divisions. The move to acquire 43 dedicated cranes is part of a broader effort by the Mumbai traffic police to enhance traffic management, streamline Mumbai's overburdened traffic system, particularly during peak hours and also improve commuter safety across the city....