Special Investigation Team of Mumbai Crime Branch files chargesheet on Mumbai hoarding collapse

The chargesheet mentions that the soil in the Ghatkopar area, where a 120 ft x 120 ft hoarding was being planned, was soft but this fact was ignored.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Mumbai Crime Branch filed a 3,299-page chargesheet in a Mumbai court that highlights the alleged collusion among top officials from the Government Railway Police (GRP), Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), and Ego Media Private, which contributed to the May 13 tragedy, as reported by NDTV.

An excavator operator had warned that the location in Mumbai's Ghatkopar, where a 120 ft x 120 ft hoarding was being planned, had soft soil. However, this warning was ignored. Sixteen months later, during a storm, the massive billboard collapsed. Fourteen individuals lost their lives and more than 70 were hurt.

According to the chargesheet, while the excavator was preparing the site for the billboard, a tree fell, prompting the operator to sense the presence of soft soil. He recommended a soil check to adjust the building plans and ensure the stability of the structure. This check would have taken 15 days. But Ego Media director Bhavesh Bhinde and former director Jahnavi Marathe ignored the warning and proceeded without a soil check, according to the chargesheet.

This alleged negligence is cited by the police as a contributing factor to the billboard's collapse during the storm. The excavator operator is one of more than 100 witnesses whose statements are included in the chargesheet.

The chargesheet also alleges serious misconduct by IPS officer Quaiser Khalid, the former GRP Commissioner who approved the hoarding during his tenure, and BMC licence inspector Sunil Dalvi. The plot for the hoarding was leased to the GRP, and Khalid allegedly bypassed the tender process to award the hoarding to Ego Media. He has since been suspended. Dalvi initially issued a notice to Ego Media for the illegal hoarding but later withdrew it.

After this incident, the local governments of several other cities started examining, evaluating, and changing the numerous OOH installations in their respective areas.