After Tragedy in Mumbai, BMC Says It Will Act Against All Illegal Hoardings in City

Mumbai: A day after the collapse of an illegal hoarding on a petrol pump claimed 14 lives in Ghatkopar, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Tuesday said it would take action against all hoardings erected without its permission in the city.

As the demolition of the remaining hoardings on the land in possession of the Government Railway Police (GRP) started Tuesday evening, a senior official told news agency PTI that no action had been taken earlier as a dispute was going on between the BMC and the railway police.

"A case has been registered in connection with the incident on Monday. We have also directed all civic officials and assistant commissioners to remove all hoardings in their respective wards which have been erected without BMC's permission or which are dangerous, immediately," PTI quoted municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani as saying after visiting the collapse site where rescue operation was underway.

Gagrani further said that action will be completed in the next few days, adding that Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has also given the civic body directives in this regard.

The BMC enlisted the help of Maha Mumbai Metro Operation Corporation Limited (MMMOCL), seeking its expertise and machinery for the demolition.

The MMMOCL has heavy-duty machinery such as cranes that are needed to carry out these operations, an official of the metro corporation told PTI.  

Reiterating that Mumbai civic body had not given any permission for the hoarding that collapsed on Monday evening amid rain and gusting winds, Gagrani said the BMC had been in correspondence (with the owner of the advertising firm which had put it up and agencies concerned) regarding the matter for the last two years, and had also lodged a police complaint over poisoning of trees on its periphery.

"A stand was taken that we (GRP) do not need permission (for a hoarding on railway land) under the Railway Act. The BMC's response was that it was not legally right. And therefore, in the whole episode, so far there was no action," PTI reported, quoting the commissioner.

An assistant police commissioner (admin) had given permission for these hoardings on behalf of the commissioner of railway police, Mumbai, but no permission had been obtained from the BMC, according to a civic official.

On Cam: Rains and Dust Storm Wreak Havoc in Mumbai

The death toll in the incident stands at 14 with the condition of two injured persons reported to be critical. Majority of those injured in the tragedy are admitted in the Rajawadi hospital while those who required neurosurgery were shifted to the KEM hospital, Gagrani said.

A total of eight back-to-back hoardings stood at four locations, and one of these sets of hoardings collapsed on Monday.

How Search and Rescue Operations Were Carried Out

At least 12 fire engines and other vehicles were deployed in the search and rescue operation. Two NDRF teams, comprising 100 personnel, also joined the operation that began Monday evening.

Additionally, two heavy duty cranes and two hydra cranes were used in the operation along with two earth-excavating machines and 25 ambulances.

Rescue teams were met with challenges as they could not use gasoline-powered cutter equipment and oxyfuel cutter for the fear of possible blast or fire given the incident was reported at a petrol pump, an official of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) had said.

The NDRF teams deployed two cranes weighing 500 tonnes each to pull up the collapsed hoarding from both ends. After creating a gap of about 3.5 to 4 feet, the rescuers crouched into the tiny space to scour through for more survivors underneath the rubble, PTI had reported, quoting NDRF assistant commandant Nikhil Mudholkar.

During the search that extended through the Monday night, three girders of the hoarding were pulled using two hydraulic cranes. 

Meanwhile, a case has been registered against Bhavesh Bhinde, the owner of M/s Ego Media Private Limited and others for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Pant Nagar police station as the billboard was illegal and no permission was taken to install it.