1025 hoardings within BMC, none illegal: Eknath Shinde in Assembly after Ghatkopar hoarding collapse

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 1 (ANI): Weeks after the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse incident, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said in a written reply in the Maharashtra assembly that there are a total of 1025 hoardings within the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and none of them are illegal.

Shinde said that all hoardings on public roads and other visible places are mandatory to have prior permission as per Section 328(1) of the BMC Act 1888.

The Chief Minister said that hoardings at the Railway Authority’s land have not taken permission from the BMC, As per the BMC survey from time to time, there are 306 hoardings at the Railway Authority’s land in Mumbai. Out of these 306, 99 hoardings are above the 40×40 feet dimension.

As per rules, on May 15, a notice was given to Railways about doing a structural audit of these hoardings and dilapidated hoardings were to be taken down.

Speaking about BMC permission for hoardings at the Railway authority’s land, the matter is subjudice before the Bombay High Court and as per the June 14 order of the High Court, the Railway is fully responsible for all unauthorised hoardings on their land and any mishap due to those during monsoon.

In the May 13 Ghatkopar incident where a 120×140-foot hoarding fell, 17 persons lost their lives and 81 were injured. 32 two-wheelers, 33 four-wheelers and 12 autorickshaws, a total of 77 vehicles were also damaged in the incident. Based on Panchjanya police, the insurance claim of these damaged vehicles was processed as per Rules.

From the State Disaster Response fund of the state government, 13 were injured who took treatment for over 7 days. Each of them was given 16 thousand from SDRF and 2 Lakh from the centre as total of 2.16 lakh rupees of financial aid. 13 persons were treated for less than seven days period. They were given Rs 5,400 by the state government and Rs 2 lakh from the central government amounting to a total of Rs 2.054 lakh, the Chief Minister said.

Shinde further said that the kin of 17 deceased in the incident were assisted in the form of ex gratia amount of Rs 11 lakh Rupees each. (This includes Rs 5 lakh from the CM Fund, Rs 4 lakh from SDRF and Rs 2 lakh from PM Relief fund)

An FIR has been registered in this case under Sections 304(2), 338, 337, 427, 34 and 120(B) of the Indian Penal Code. Four persons were arrested and all of them are in judicial custody as of now.

The Commissioner of GRP of that time has been suspended by an order of June 25. Moreover by an order of June 10, a committee has been appointed under the chairmanship of retired Chief Justice of Bombay High Court Justice Dilip Bhosale. The committee’s investigation is also under process, the Chief Minister said.