NEW DELHI: The Ghatkopar huge and oversized hoarding collapse left many lessons to be learnt, from the disaster that occurred thereafter, the SC insisted. SC encouraged MCGM and Railways to eliminate errors and loopholes, much before the monsoons could set in, that could lead to such type of tragedies on a large scale.
The MCGM, on the other hand had filed a petition which was pending, that challenged the Bombay HC’s 2017 judgement ousting the civic body’s jurisdiction over hoardings on railway land. However, Justices P. B. Varale and Sanjay Kumar, the vacation bench of Justices posted the matter for hearing the following week but informed that all concerned authorities, not excluding the MCGM and Railways, should necessarily take all the precautions to see that such incidents do not recur, keeping in mind the harsh weather and winds that came with the extreme monsoons.
MCGM further clarified that the standard hoarding size allowed was max 40 ft X 40 ft, but the Ghatkopar hoarding size was a whooping 120 ft X 120 ft thrice the normal size, hence it could not withstand the pressure of the wind during the thunder and dust storm.
MCGM also stated in it’s application, that there was a list of 45 such huge billboard on southern and central railway land, three of which were the size of the Ghatkopar hoarding, “Given the onset of monsoon and the grave hazard posed by such billboards to the general public, there exists an urgent and crucial need to regulate the sizes of hoardings immediately. These suffer from a high likelihood of collapse on the adjoining municipal roads/private lands/structures, etc. The said structures endanger the lives and properties of the public.”
Following this incident, The District Disaster Management Authority had written to railways and asked for a structural audit and alleviation of such hazardous hoardings as MCGM had no jurisdiction on hoardings on railway land.
Additional Solicitor General for railways, Vikramjit Banerjee informed the bench that the reason for the collapse was that the structure was not able to hold the oversized billboard. This structural stability was lacking because of soil condition and the probable wind speed in extreme weather conditions.
MCGM reiterated, that though the Ghatkopar hoarding had a structural stability certificate it crashed due to the large size factor. “Only obtaining a structural stability audit/certificate does not absolve the railways from their statutory duty to comply with the provisions of the Disaster Management Act.” MCGM asked the bench of an urgent hearing on the case before the rains could set in.
