Mumbai Hoarding Collapse: The rescue operation stopped after 60 hours, person putting up illegal hoarding was arrested; A total of 16 people lost their lives in the accident

Mumbai Police has arrested Bhavesh Bhide, director of advertising agency Ego Media Private Limited, responsible for putting up hoardings in the Ghatkopar area. The bodies of a retired General Manager (GM) of Air Traffic Control (ATC) and his wife have been found in the debris of illegal hoardings that fell on the petrol pump due to a strong storm. In this way, the total number of people killed in the accident has reached 16, while more than 75 people have been injured.

Relief and rescue operations have now been called off 60 hours after the incident. Due to the sudden strong storm on Monday afternoon in Mumbai, an illegal iron hoarding installed illegally in Ramabai Ambedkar Nagar of Ghatkopar suburb fell on the adjacent petrol pump. The advertising agency had not taken permission from BMC to put up the hoarding. BMC allows hoardings of a maximum size of 40 by 40 square feet, but the size of the illegal hoarding that caused havoc was 120 by 120 square feet.

Two bodies were removed from the buried car

An official said that two bodies had been pulled out from the car and buried under the debris. The bodies were identified as Manoj Chansoria (60), former GM of ATC Mumbai, and his wife Anita Chansoria (59). A BMC official said the bodies were in a mutilated state. Manoj and Anita had left for Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh from ATC Guest House in Western Mumbai in their car.

In the process, he came under the influence of a hoarding that fell on a petrol pump. After the relatives expressed concern, when the police traced the mobile phones of both of them, their location was found at the petrol pump only. An NDRF official said rescue teams had found two bodies in a car buried under the girders of the hoarding the same night.

The rescue workers kept trying to reach the car, but the guards were becoming a major obstacle. Hence, there was a delay in removing these two bodies. Later, the rescue team used gas cutters and other machinery to cut the interconnected girders and pulled out the bodies of the couple from the car around midnight on Wednesday. The son of the couple killed in the accident lives in America. The relatives are now waiting for his arrival.

The government did not get anything from this, there should be a thorough investigation into this matter

Somaiya BJP leader Kirit Somaiya has alleged that the tender process for the hoardings was not followed. The Maharashtra government got nothing from it, while its owner earned revenue of over Rs 100 crore. He alleged that Bhavesh Bhinde got permission to put up the hoarding only because he was close to Sunil Raut, brother of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut. Only a few crores of rupees were transferred to the Maharashtra Police Welfare Fund. Somaiya has written a letter to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis demanding a thorough investigation into the matter.

VJT is investigating the reasons for the hoarding collapse

The hoarding was installed on the land occupied by GRP. BMC officials have said that Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI) has been asked to submit a report within seven days to find out the reasons for the hoarding collapse. A team of VJTI experts visited the petrol pump the day after the accident. He said that the team had inspected the location of the hoarding. He has collected samples of the materials used to build its foundation.

Order to check all hoardings

On the incident of hoarding falling in Ghatkopar, Mumbai, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani said that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has ordered to check all the hoardings. To provide stability to the hoarding, there are established criteria for its size and foundation, all of which must be followed. He said that action is being taken on a war footing to remove illegal hoardings in the metropolis.