Mumbai, April 16 -- Just two months after the fatal metro slab collapse in Mulund, a similar disaster was narrowly averted on Wednesday when a 400-tonne crane tilted while hoisting a 140-tonne girder at a metro construction site in the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), reportedly due to a mechanical failure. While there were no casualties or injuries reported, vehicular traffic in the busy commercial district was severely disrupted, as authorities were forced to shut a 600-metre stretch of a key link road connecting Bandra and Kurla for more than 12 hours. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which is overseeing the expanding metro network, has fined contractor J Kumar Infraprojects Rs.1 crore. Confirming the incident, the agency said a "mechanical failure" caused the crane, which was lifting a pre-cast beam, to topple. The incident occurred around 4.30 am near the Asian Heart Institute junction in the heart of BKC, where a station for the under-construction Metro 2B line (DN Nagar-Mandale) is coming up. According to an MMRDA official, two 400-tonne cranes were launching a 140-tonne girder when one of them suffered a gear failure. As a result, the crane could not support the girder's weight, so it tilted and fell onto a metro pillar. The other crane held the girder and slowly lowered it onto the road below, rather than letting it hang precariously, the official added. Basavraj M Bhadragond, director (projects) for the metro network at MMRDA, said, "The 140-tonne girder was suspended mid-air when the primary boom (crane) failed, transferring the entire load onto a secondary boom. Unable to withstand the sudden pressure, the crane lost balance and tilted. The beam is not impacted even though the crane fell on it." When HT visited the site around 1 pm, multiple cranes, trailers and heavy equipment had been deployed as officials worked to remove the tilted crane, whose wheels were suspended mid-air. A 600-tonne crane was eventually mobilised to clear the toppled equipment. During the operation, a 600-metre stretch of the BKC Road between the Asian Heart Institute junction and the Trident hotel was closed to traffic, triggering major congestion. The commercial hub sees a daily footfall of around 250,000 office-goers and an additional 300,000 visitors. "The road was immediately closed and traffic diverted to prevent traffic jams," said Priyanka Nanaware, additional commissioner of police (traffic). "Consequently, the southbound and northbound carriageways were temporarily closed, and the northbound traffic was diverted." Officials said the crane was finally stabilised and brought down around 9.15 pm-nearly 17 hours after the incident. However, the road stretch remained closed....