MUMBAI: The death toll in the hoarding collapse incident in Mumbai's Ghatkopar area has risen to 14, while 74 people are injured, civic officials said on Tuesday morning.
The 100-foot-tall illegal billboard fell at a petrol pump in Ghatkopar during dust storms and unseasonal rains that lashed Mumbai on Monday.
According to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials, search and rescue operations were going on at the Chheda Nagar-based petrol pump on Tuesday morning.
The death toll has risen to 14, while the number of injured is 74. Of the injured, 31 people have been discharged from Rajawadi Hospital and 35 are undergoing treatment, while the condition of one of them is critical, a BMC official said.
He said eight more injured people are undergoing treatment at three private and civic-run hospitals.
Meanwhile, Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar has said stringent action will be taken against those responsible for the hoarding collapse incident in the city.
Phansalkar visited the spot late Monday evening, where he spoke to reporters and assured action against those responsible for the incident.
In a post on his official X handle on Monday, Phansalkar said, "Heartfelt condolences to families who lost their loved ones in the unfortunate mishap at Ghatkopar. @MumbaiPolice team is on the spot in the rescue operation.We assure citizens that stringent legal action will be taken against those responsible for this mishap."
A case has been registered against Bhavesh Bhinde, the owner of M/s Ego Media Private Limited and others for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code at Pant Nagar police station, another official said.
The owner, Bhavesh Bhinde, and others were booked under sections 304 (Culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 337 (causing hurt to another person by acting rashly or negligently) of the Indian Penal Code.
The case has been registered at Pantnagar police station and the investigation is underway.
Initial estimates suggested over 100 individuals were caught in the debris at the Police Ground petrol pump along the Eastern Express Highway in Pantnagar.
"I was there when a big hoarding of some builder fell down, all the cars, bikes and people that were there got stuck. We helped people get out and somehow manage to escape," Swapnil Khupte, an eyewitness, told news agency ANI.
Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde reached the location to take stock of the situation. He said that the government assures that the injured will receive necessary treatment and a sum of Rs 5 lakh will be provided to the families of the deceased. He also added that the authorities have been directed to conduct audits of all similar billboards in Mumbai to prevent future incidents.
Similar incidents of scaffolding collapses were reported in Mumbai and its suburbs. In Jogeshwari, gusty winds uprooted a tree, which fell on an autorickshaw. The driver was injured and taken to a nearby hospital by locals.
Meanwhile, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) issued a notice to the advertisement agency, asking it to immediately remove the remaining three hoardings near the spot, officials said. A notice has been issued to M/s Ego Media for installing the hoarding that collapsed on the petrol pump during the gusty winds on Monday evening.
"The BMC has asked the ad agency to remove the remaining three hoardings immediately for not having valid permission," an official said.
The Assistant Police Commissioner (Admin) had given permission for erecting the four hoardings on behalf of the Commissioner of Railway Police, Mumbai, including the one that collapsed on Monday, but no official permission or NOC was obtained from the BMC.
The official said the land on which the hoarding was erected is the collector land and it was in the possession of the Police Housing Welfare Corporation of the Government of Maharashtra as per the property card records. The land was initially given to the Government Railway Police for use, it stated.
Earlier on May 2, the BMC issued a notice to the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Admin) of Railway Police to instruct the advertising agency about the cancellation of all permissions and remove the hoardings, the BMC official said.
Mumbai Police had registered a case against the concerned advertising agency for allegedly poisoning trees, which were obstructing the view of the hoardings in the Chheda Nagar area, he said.
A case was registered against the Mulund-based M/s Ego Media on July 13, 2023, at Pant Nagar police station for poisoning nine coconut trees and two bottle palm trees, the official said.
Though the BMC allows holdings of a maximum size of 40 x 40 square feet, the illegal hoarding that collapsed measured 120 x 120 square feet in size, the official said.
He said the work order for the installation of the hoarding was initially given in December 2021 by the then Assistant Commissioner of Police on behalf of the GRP Commissioner.
Ravindra Shisave, Commissioner, GRP, said the land on which the hoardings were erected is in the possession of the Government Railway Police, but the hoardings were erected at the spot before he took charge.
He further said that GRP has already launched a probe about the permissions given for installing the hoardings.
"Taking a serious note of the incident, an inquiry has been started to find out under whose authority the permission was given," Shisave said.
According to sources, the three hoardings are likely to be removed on Tuesday by the BMC.