KOCHI: A huge billboard of a footwear showroom located near the Padma cinema in Kochi crashed close to the MG Road in the early hours of Friday following heavy wind and rain, triggering concerns over hoardings placed at several places in the city. Fortunately, there were no passersby or motorists on the road at the time, officials said.
However, the incident has raised alarm bells as it comes barely weeks after 17 persons died and 74 others were injured in a hoarding collapse in Mumbai.
“The hoarding collapsed around 3 am. Luckily, there were no staff in the shop and the road was deserted because of heavy rain,” said Jenson John, the area manager of the shop, whose billboard fell on the roadside.
As the hoarding was installed only three years back, the company was not worried about its strength, he said, indicating that the heavy wind may have caused it to crash.
“Immediately after coming to know about the incident, we took steps to remove the collapsed board from the pavement,” John said.
Meanwhile, the hoarding crash has come as a wake-up call for the authorities to ramp up efforts inspect the strength of hoardings placed in the city.
S Shyam Kumar, an official with the town planning department of the Kochi corporation, said they inspect the hoardings from time to time. “The shops don’t need any separate permission to install their name board. The Kerala Municipal Building Rules don’t mention it. So the shop itself is responsible for the damage and casualties,” he clarified.
However, to erect a hoarding in a public or private place requires certain criteria to be fulfilled.
“The applicants must produce the ownership documents of the place, a structural stability certificate issued by a structural engineer, documents about the insurance, and an affidavit on stamp paper claiming sole responsibility for any damage,” Shyam said.
Engineers issue the stability certificate for the hoardings for a year only after considering the risk elements, he said.
When asked about the strength and stability of the hoardings, the town planning officer said: “There is a squad in place for frequent inspections and to ensure the fitness of the hoardings. But the operations are usually carried out based on complaints and strong demands from someplace.”
K Hari, an autorickshaw driver who operates on the MG Road, said the incident should be an eye-opener for the authorities concerned. “Had the incident happened during the day, there would have been casualties,” Hari added.
Reality check
The public say the owners and authorities concerned should pay more attention to the stability and strength of hoardings in the city, especially during the rainy season. Some of the old and dilapidated buildings too pose a threat to life of the people.