BMC On Hoardings: Mumbai’s civic body, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said on Tuesday that it would take action against all hoardings erected without its permission in the city.
A huge hoarding collapsed on a petrol pump in the Ghatkopar area of Mumbai killing 14 people and injuring more than 70 on Monday, May 13.
The authorities started demolishing the remaining hoardings on the land in possession of the Government Railway Police (GRP) in the evening.
“The BMC on Tuesday evening started demolishing the remaining hoardings near the ill-fated petrol pump. A total of eight back-to-back hoardings stood at four locations, and one of these sets of hoardings collapsed on Monday, said an official.
A senior official said no action had been taken earlier as a dispute was going on between the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the railway police.
“Regarding the incident of Monday, a case has been registered. 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,” said municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani after visiting the site.
“In the next few days you will find this action completed,” he added.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also gave directives in this regard to the civic body, Gagrani added. The BMC does not have an elected body at present as civic elections have been pending for more than two years.
Municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani said that the BMC had not given any permission for the hoarding that collapsed on Monday evening amid rain and gusting winds. He said that BMC had been conducting correspondence (with the owner of the advertising firm which had put it up and concerned agencies) regarding it for the last two years, and also lodged a police complaint for the 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 correct. And hence, in the whole episode, so far there was no action,” the commissioner claimed.
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, a civic official had claimed earlier.
(With PTI inputs)
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