Preliminary investigations conducted by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) have shown that the Government Railway Police (GRP) and the Railways approved 306 unauthorised hoardings in the city. 1,225 hoardings have been reported in Mumbai, according to the survey. Furthermore, the 306 hoardings allowed by the GRP and Western and Central Railway are illegal and do not have the requisite permission, in contrast to the hoardings cleared by the BMC, which are legal and fall within the permitted size of 40×40 ft. Of the 306 illegal hoardings, 45 exceed the permissible size of 40×40 ft.
The report also revealed that BMC, in April 2022, had sent a notice to the GRP asking how hoardings were allowed without clearance from the civic body. GRP responded that railway police were covered by Railways-related laws and did not need BMC permission. There was no communication from BMC to GRP thereafter until May 2024 just weeks before the hoarding collapsed during a dust storm, said a TOI report.
Following the recent hoarding collapse which claimed 17 lives and injured 80, the BMC for now has demolished 16 of the 306 illegal hoardings, in Dadar TT and at the BPCL petrol pump in Ghatkopar.
That apart, GRP ACP Shahaji Nikam was summoned on Tuesday by the Mumbai Police SIT investigating the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse case. As per media reports, his name was featured on some of the documents related to granting permissions for the hoarding following which he had been called to record his statement. The police will also be writing to the BMC seeking to find out how an illegal hoarding was allowed to come up in their jurisdiction without them taking any action.
The SIT has arrested owner of the hoarding Bhavesh Bhinde, who is in their custody till today.
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