Mumbai Hoarding Collapse: Ignored Soft Soil Warning Leads to Tragedy, Chargesheet Reveals

A 120 ft x 120 ft hoarding collapsed in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar area, resulting in the deaths of 17 people and injuring 74 others during a storm. The tragedy, which occurred on May 13, has now been attributed to negligence and alleged collusion among key officials, as revealed in a 3,299-page chargesheet filed by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Mumbai Crime Branch.

The chargesheet highlights a critical warning from an excavator operator, who had identified soft soil at the site where the massive billboard was being erected. The operator had recommended a soil check to ensure the stability of the structure, a process that would have taken approximately 15 days. However, this crucial advice was ignored by the directors of Ego Media Private Limited, Bhavesh Bhinde and former director Jahnavi Marathe, who chose to proceed without the soil test.

The chargesheet indicates that the negligence of Bhinde and Marathe played a significant role in the billboard’s collapse during the storm. The excavator operator’s statement is among more than 100 testimonies included in the police investigation.

Further allegations in the chargesheet point to the involvement of top officials from the Government Railway Police (GRP) and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). IPS officer Quaiser Khalid, the former GRP Commissioner, is accused of using legal loopholes to grant the hoarding contract to Ego Media without a tender process. The hoarding was erected on land leased to the GRP, and Khalid’s approval came during his tenure. He has since been suspended.

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BMC licence inspector Sunil Dalvi is also implicated in the chargesheet. Dalvi initially issued a notice to Ego Media regarding the illegal hoarding but later retracted it, raising suspicions due to his ongoing contact with Bhinde.

The collapse of the hoarding, notable for its entry into the Limca Book of Records due to its size, has brought to light the rampant bending of rules and neglect of public safety in the approval process for such structures. According to regulations, the maximum permissible size for hoardings is 40 ft x 40 ft, making the Ghatkopar billboard three times the allowed limit.

In response to the incident, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde addressed the assembly, stating that there are a total of 1,025 hoardings in BMC areas, none of which are illegal. However, a BMC survey revealed that 99 out of 306 hoardings on Railway authority land in Mumbai exceed the maximum permitted size, underscoring the need for stricter enforcement of regulations.