4 women among 5 killed as ‘illegal’ hoarding collapses in Pimpri Chinchwad

Following the collapse, ambulances, fire brigade rescuers, police teams and local residents rushed to the spot and rescued eight persons who were trapped under the steel structure. All the eight were rushed to nearby hospitals where five of them were pronounced dead. One of the five killed hailed from UP.

Pimpri Chinchwad Police Commissioner Vinoy Kumar Choubey said, “Several people were trapped under the structure of the hoarding that collapsed. All of them sustained grievous injuries. Five persons have died and three have been seriously injured. Teams from the local police station, all senior officers reached the spot and coordinated the emergency response efforts.”

Assistant Commissioner of Police Padmakar Ghanwat said, “Primary information suggests that when it had started raining and strong winds were blowing, some persons had stopped near the hoarding and had taken shelter under some sheds, including that of a puncture repair shop. The hoarding structure collapsed and eight persons were trapped under it. Five persons, including four women, have died. There is one woman among the three injured.”

Deputy Commissioner of Police Kakasaheb Dole said, “Our initial priority was ensuring medical aid to all. A probe will be conducted into the causes.”

The deceased have been identified as Shobha Vijay Tak (50), from Parshi Chawl in Dehu Road; Varsha Vilas Kedari (50), from Gandhinagar in Dehu Road; Bharti Nitin Manchak (33), from Mamurdi in Pune; Anita Umesh Roy (45), from Thomas Colony in Dehu Road; and, Ramawadh Prahlad Atmaj (29), who hailed from Laxmipur in Maharajganj district of Uttar Pradesh.

The injured have been identified as Rinki Dilip Roy (45), a resident of Thomas Colony in Dehu Road; and Vishal Shivshankar Yadav (20) and Rehmat Mohammed Ansari (21) — both ran the puncture repair shop.

When asked about the probe, ACP Ghanwat said, “We are now initiating communication with the department concerned of the PCMC to get information about the contractor who had erected the hoarding structure. We will probe whether it had all the necessary clearances and permissions and whether all required safety measures were in place. Based on the initial inquiry, further probe will be initiated.”

Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Commissioner Shekhar Singh said, “The hoarding was illegal. It was not given permission by the civic body. It was on private land. We had earlier issued notices to all hoardings in the area. After this, the Pimpri-Chinchwad Advertising Association approached the Bombay High Court. The High Court granted them a stay last year, which was continued during the previous hearing held last month. The High Court had said that no coercive action should be taken against such hoardings till it decides on the petition.”

Local MNS leader Vikas Bhandari said, “We have been repeatedly complaining to PCMC that all hoardings in the area are illegal and a threat to pedestrians. Yet, PCMC has continued to turn a blind eye. This is a deliberate act of negligence on the part of the PCMC.”

Activist Maruti Bhapkar said, “When hoardings are being erected, the PCMC keeps silent. When they are fully set up, PCMC decides to take action. In such cases, the owners approach the court… When something illegal is happening, PCMC should act immediately.”

Asked about these allegations, a PCMC official said, “We have been regularly taking action against hoardings. For months, we had not given any permission for new hoardings. Granting permission for hoardings was restarted this month.”

Police officials, meanwhile, said that around the same time, another hoarding structure and a signal column collapsed in the Nigdi Otascheme area. No casualties were reported in the incident.