MUMBAI: In the aftermath of the tragic collapse of two massive billboards in Ghatkopar’s Pant Nagar on May 13, the threat posed by oversized structures in Mumbai persists despite BMC directives.
The incident, attributed to alleged negligence by Ego Media Pvt Ltd, claimed 17 lives and left 75 injured. Shockingly, 29 similar oversized billboards, lacking BMC permits, continue to stand, raising concerns for public safety.
Despite receiving removal notices under the Disaster Management Act (2005) on May 16, neither the railways nor the relevant advertising agencies have taken action to dismantle these hazardous billboards. Notably, among the offending structures are a colossal 120×120 feet billboard in Bandra East and another measuring 100 x 30 feet on Charni Road, both significantly exceeding the BMC’s permissible limit of 40×40 feet. A senior official from the BMC’s licenses department disclosed that these oversized hoardings encroach upon railway premises and Government Railway Police (GRP) land, under the jurisdiction of the state government. While six hoardings, including the two involved in the Ghatkopar tragedy, were removed, others in areas like Dadar’s Tilak Bridge remain untouched.
Despite BMC directives issued to Central Railway (CR) and Western Railway (WR) to remove the oversized hoardings within three days, no action has been taken so far. WR, particularly, has a high number of such billboards in Mahalaxmi, Bandra, and Khar. Efforts to address the issue have been met with inertia from the railways and advertising agencies. In response, the BMC is formulating new hoarding guidelines, set to include mandatory structural stability audits for all billboards. Once the election code of conduct is lifted, these revised policies will be implemented, potentially requiring railway agencies to seek BMC approval for hoardings. This overhaul aims to prevent further tragedies and ensure public safety in Mumbai’s urban landscape.
