Ghatkopar hoarding collapse: Action taken against illegal billboards in Pune city, says civic body

The collapsed hoarding in Ghatkopar on Monday. Pic/Sameer Markande

The Pune civic body on Tuesday said that action has already been taken against more than 1,500 illegal hoardings in city, in the wake of the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse incident in Mumbai which claimed 14 lives, reported the PTI.

There were 1,564 illegal temporary hoardings and posters in the city, Pune Municipal Corporation's commissioner Rajendra Bhosale said, as per the PTI.

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"We have taken action against them. We had also issued an order to conduct structural audit of all legal hoardings in the city," he told reporters.

Of 2,598 legal hoardings in PMC limits, the audit of 2,300 was complete and none of them was found to be structurally unstable, the municipal commissioner said.

No illegally erected commercial hoardings were found, Rajendra Bhosale added.

The civic body was also revising policy guidelines for hoardings in congested areas, he added.

At least 14 persons were killed when a giant hoarding crashed on a petrol pump in Mumbai's Ghatkopar area amid rain and strong winds on Monday evening.

Pune had witnessed a similar tragic incident in October 2018 when a hoarding on the railway station premises fell on vehicles on the adjoining road, claiming four lives.

Will act against all illegal hoardings in Mumbai: BMC

Meanwhile, a day after the collapse of an illegal hoarding claimed 14 lives in Ghatkopar hoarding collapse, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Tuesday said that it would take action against all hoardings erected without its permission, reported the PTI.

No action was taken in the past against the giant hoarding that crashed on a petrol pump in Chheda Nagar area on Monday evening as a dispute was going on between the BMC and Government Railway Police (GRP), an official said, as per the PTI.

The drive will start with the removal of the remaining three hoardings on the GRP land in Ghatkopar, said municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani on Tuesday after visiting the site where rescue operation is underway, according to the PTI.

"Regarding this incident, a case has been registered. We have also directed all civic officials and assistant commissioners to remove such hoardings erected without our permission or which are dangerous in their respective wards immediately. In the next few days you will find this action completed," he said.

(with PTI inputs)