BMC begins audit of all hoardings, says GRP permitted ‘illegal’ billboard in Ghatkopar
Summary
The BMC claimed that they had filed an FIR against Ego Media in 2023 and it was police’s responsibility after that.
The BMC claimed that they had filed an FIR against Ego Media in 2023 and it was police’s responsibility after that.
In the aftermath of the devastating collapse of a billboard in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar, claiming the lives of 14 and leaving over 30 injured, authorities are embroiled in a dispute over accountability. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) pointed fingers at the Government Railway Police (GRP), alleging that the tragedy was exacerbated by their approval of the billboard installation.
Sudhakar Shinde, Additional Commissioner of BMC, told CNBC-TV18 that the corporation has initiated a comprehensive audit of all billboards across Mumbai, with the removal of illegal structures already underway. Regarding the collapsed hoarding, he said that the land in question belonged to the GRP, and neither the police nor the advertising agency sought permission from the BMC.
“We contested this in court, asserting that any authority authorising billboards must involve the BMC and share rental proceeds. However, the court ruled in favour of the GRP. BMC has now challenged this decision in the Supreme Court,” Shinde explained.
Responding to criticisms about BMC’s failure to act on the illegal hoarding, Shinde said that the Bombay High Court had previously ruled that the corporation lacked jurisdiction over the billboard situated on GRP land. However, following the tragedy and under the Disaster Management Act, BMC can now intervene since its their jurisdiction.
GRP Commissioner Ravindra Sisave confirmed that an internal inquiry has been launched, acknowledging the authorisation granted to Ego Media for the billboard’s installation over a decade ago. However, he refuted claims that the GRP had received notices to penalize the advertising agency.
Amidst the blame-shifting, GRP’s assertion that permission was granted by the former commissioner, Qaiser Khalid, contrasts with BMC’s documentation indicating their communication with the police department to remove the illegal structure and take action against Ego Media.
The BMC claimed that they had filed an FIR against Ego Media in 2023 and it was police’s responsibility after that.
The fatal incident occurred when a 100-foot tall billboard collapsed onto a petrol pump in Ghatkopar, an area where civic officials deemed the hoarding illegal due to its lack of BMC authorisation. Mumbai Municipal Corporation commissioner Bhushan Gagrani reiterated the illegality of the hoarding, emphasising that the incident site hosted multiple billboards, one of which collapsed tragically.
According to BMC officials, the hoarding measuring 120 x 120 feet crashed on the petrol pump at around 4:30 pm. An official said the civic body doesn’t permit any hoarding measuring above 40 x 40 feet.
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