It started like any other workday evening. I left my office in Kalanagar, Bandra East, a little after 8 pm, expecting my usual one-and-a-half-hour drive to Kharghar. The stretch via BKC towards the Santacruz-Chembur Link Road (SCLR) was smooth, and I settled into light traffic with music on the radio. But the moment I reached SCLR, everything came to a standstill.

At first, I assumed it was a routine jam. As minutes passed without movement, it was clear this was far worse. Vehicles of every kind — cars, bikes, and trucks — were completely stranded. I called the traffic control room, where an on-duty policeman said a piling rig had overturned on the Sion-Panvel Highway near Mankhurd, triggering massive congestion across connecting routes. He added that traffic personnel were working to clear the situation.