Ensure no further incidents like Ghatkopar hoarding collapse occur: SC to Mumbai authorities

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday directed concerned Mumbai authorities to take necessary steps in order to prevent hoarding collapse incidents like the one in Ghatkopar which led to the death of 17 people.

A bench of Justices Sanjay Kumar and P B Varale pointed out that the onset of monsoon must be kept in mind and the authorities concerned should ensure that no untoward incident like Ghatkopar hoarding crash occur.

The court was hearing a matter pertaining to an application filed by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) in relation to the applicability of certain provisions of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act (MMCA) to hoardings on land belonging to the railways.

The bench said that the authorities should try to prevent incidents like these on any land, irrespective of whether it is owned by the railways or by the municipal corporation.

A counsel stated that the Ghatkopar incident was not before the court and the illegal hoarding that collapsed in Ghatkopar was not situated on railway land.

The counsel representing MCGM contended that his client is discharging functions not just under MMCA but also under the Disaster Management Act, which has an overriding effect on other laws.

It was also pointed out that several illegal hoardings have been identified on land belonging to the railways.

The court scheduled the matter for consideration after a week.

As many as 17 people had died and 75 were left injured after a massive illegal hoarding collapsed on top of a petrol pump in Ghatkopar, amid a dust storm across the city.

The collapse was attributed to the weak foundation of the pillar on which the billboard was placed.

The plea before the court by MCGM challenged the high court judgment, which declared that provisions of Section 328 and 328A of the MMCA would not apply to the hoardings erected by the railways on their land.

The municipal corporation had told railways that the hoarding which collapsed, measured 120 ft x 120 ft, which was not permissible as per the policy of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). 

The BMC’s policy mandated a size of 40 ft x 40 ft against the backdrop of the coastal location of Mumbai in view of wind speeds, among other relevant factors.