Mumbai: Collapsed Ghatkopar Hoarding Was Under Already Scanner, BMC Wanted To Dismantle It Weeks Ago

The huge hoarding which collapsed in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar area killing at least 14 people was reportedly under the scanner of civic authorities for the past year. As per Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s guideline, billboards of a maximum of 40×40 feet are permitted to be installed. However, the one that collapsed was 120×120 feet.

According to a report by Indian Express, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s tree department had registered an official complaint with the police against Ego Media, the agency that maintains the billboards, for violating protocols in December 2023. It again approached the police two weeks ago in April.

In its complaint, the civic officials said indigenous trees like Subabul, Peepal and Peltophorum that were planted in the periphery of the billboard had perished mysteriously.

“There were two separate incidents of tree deaths along the EEH, one in December last year and April this year when we found out that holes were drilled in the trunks of the trees in an attempt to inject poison inside them. This had led to the trees losing their leaves and eventually dying,” the Indian Express quoted an official from the BMC’s zonal tree department as saying.

As per the report, the land parcel in which the hoarding was installed belongs to the Mumbai collector and is under the possession of the Police Housing Welfare Corporation, Maharashtra government.

In 2020, the Government Railway Police (GRP) in 2020 had floated a tender to appoint private agencies to set up billboards on the land, following which Ego Mediagot the contract in 2021.

The agency erected four hoardings on the plot, of which one collapsed on Monday.

After the tragic incident on Monday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation sent a notice to Ego Media, the agency which maintains the billboards, asking it to dismantle the remaining structures which violate the guidelines with immediate effect.

The civic authorities also said that the agency didn’t have any permission from them to run this billboard.

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