Maharashtra government sets up panel to probe Mumbai hoarding collapse

The Maharashtra government on Monday set up a committee headed by former Allahabad High Court chief justice Dilip Bhosle to investigate the billboard collapse in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar area that had left 17 persons dead and more than 70 injured, reported The Indian Express.

The accident occurred on May 13 at around 4.30 pm near the Chheda Nagar Gymkhana when a powerful dust storm caused the billboard to topple. It fell on a petrol pump where dozens of people had taken shelter from the weather.

The committee has been constituted by the state home department to conduct a time-bound investigation and address public concerns regarding the legality and safety of billboards, particularly those installed on government and railway properties, reported Live Law.

The Mumbai Police registered a case against the owner of Ego Media, Bhavesh Bhinde, and others under the Indian Penal Code sections dealing with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, causing grievous hurt by an act endangering life, and causing hurt by acting rashly or negligently.

The director general of railway police conducted an internal inquiry into the incident and submitted the report to Maharashtra Police, who passed it onto the state government, The Indian Express reported.

The inquiry found that the hoarding was installed on government land in possession of the railways and that a former...

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