Mumbai billboard collapse: First red flag 14 months ago, no action

The first notice was issued in March 2023 over licence fee, the second on May 2 this year over damage to trees, and the third on May 13, the day the structure collapsed due to heavy winds, about “unauthorised advertisement panels”.

The notices were issued to Ego Media Private Limited, which set up the 120×120 ft metal billboard, and Government Railway Police (GRP), which is responsible for the plot’s maintenance. The land on which the billboard was erected is currently held by the Maharashtra government’s Police Housing Welfare Corporation.

“The unauthorised advertisement panels were erected without obtaining any permission from us (BMC) and this is a violation under section 388 of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (MMC) Act,” stated the latest BMC notice issued on Monday. Officials said the notice was issued hours before the billboard collapsed.

“The billboards were erected in April 2022, and since then the agency also owes a licence fee amounting to Rs 6.14 crore, which is pending. Therefore, you are hereby notified to make the payment of outstanding licence fees within 10 days from receipt of notice and all the hoardings of yours in the said premises should also be removed within ten days,” stated the notice issued to Ego Media.

The BMC notice sent to GRP, on May 2, stated, “We (BMC) have received a complaint stating that the advertiser in the Railway police staff colony at Ghatkopar East has cut down trees by poisoning them to remove obstruction for the hoarding. Following this, officials from our garden cell had carried out an inspection and an FIR was also filed against Ego Media at Pant Nagar police station.”

“Therefore, as per directions of the Municipal Commissioner, you are directed to take action against Ego Media by cancelling their licence and the billboard should also be removed immediately,” the notice stated, adding that “this matter should be considered as urgent”. This notice, however, was silent on the issue of structural stability.

A senior BMC official confirmed that no action was taken by civic authorities on the billboard in the 14 months between the first and second notices. However, speaking to reporters Tuesday, BMC chief Bhushan Gagrani said, “The BMC has given no permissions for the hoarding. Since the past two years, the BMC has been following up on this issue… It had also been brought to our attention that some trees had been damaged to ensure visibility of the hoarding.”

Meanwhile, records show, other red flags were also ignored as the billboard came up.

According to BMC rules, the maximum size of hoardings should not exceed 40×40 feet, which was flouted in this case. Records also show that there should be a minimum gap of 70 metres between hoardings. “It was less than 50 metres here. The company had also not submitted the structural stability report, which is mandatory for erecting a hoarding,” another senior BMC official said.

Records show the GRP floated a tender in October 2020 for a private agency to set up a billboard for displaying advertisement hoardings on a rental basis. In December 2021, Ego Media was selected to set up the billboard and maintain hoardings on it. “The Railway police lease out their land for setting up advertisement hoardings and billboards. The revenue generated is used for the relief purposes of policemen,” said an official.

However, records show, the work order issued by the GRP to the private agency did not contain any clause specifying the maximum size of any hoarding that could be erected. When contacted, Shahaji Nikam, ACP (Admin) for the Commissioner of Police, Railways (Mumbai), said “the permission for erecting the hoardings was issued by the Commissioner (GRP) office, and we didn’t specify any size limit for the hoardings in the work order.”

The work order, however, specified that the private agency was responsible for maintaining the structural stability of the hoarding. “You shall be solely responsible for the structural stability of the display board. You will be responsible for maintaining the structure in good condition and any loss or damage arising out of negligence, you will be responsible for the same, especially considering the climatic conditions of the area,” it stated.

Records also show that in July 2023 and April 2024, the BMC’s garden department separately registered police complaints raising suspicions that the private agency had “killed” trees that were planted on the periphery of the land on which the billboard was erected.

“The complaints were filed after we found out that holes were drilled in the trunks of the dead trees in an attempt to inject poison inside them. This had led to around 40 trees losing their leaves and eventually dying… We had also written to the GRP and issued a notice to the agency as well,” said an official from the BMC’s zonal tree department.

Kiran Shirke, the senior executive with Ego Media who was named in the BMC’s FIR on damage to trees, declined to comment.

BMC has issued 1,025 licenses across the city for billboards. Of these, 573 are illuminated hoardings, 382 are non-illuminated hoardings and 70 have LED lighting. Last year, the civic authority generated revenue of around Rs 179 crore, of which about Rs 100 crore came from these hoardings. Besides, there are 179 hoardings on Railway premises that have been issued permission by the national transporter.

Asked about the regulatory process involved, Kiran Dighavkar, Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Specials), BMC, said, “We have empanelled consultants who carry out structural audits, on the basis of which the structural stability of the hoarding is analysed. After the audit, they issue permissions for the installation of hoardings.”

Asked about the billboard that collapsed, Dighavkar said, “In our follow-up notice on May 13, we had ordered it to be taken down within 10 days, failing which the BMC was planning to raze it.” At around 4.30 pm that same day, the 250-tonne billboard collapsed on the scaffolding of an adjoining petrol pump.