Ghatkopar hoarding collapse: Panel fails to find money trail from main accused

The committee has found that some officers in the Government Railway Police (GRP) and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) were responsible for the incident, according to an official

Mumbai: Nearly a year after the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse, a Maharashtra government-appointed committee headed by retired judge Dilip Bhosale on Wednesday submitted its 650-page inquiry report to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Mumbai, India - May 14, 2024: The NDRF and the fire brigade rescued injured people from underneath the collapsed billboard in the Cheda Nagar area of Ghatkopar, Mumbai, following heavy rain and strong winds. The incident resulted in the loss of fourteen lives and left 75 others injured. (Photo by Raju Shinde/HT Photo)

According to an official aware of the developments, the committee has found that some officers in the Government Railway Police (GRP) and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) were responsible for the incident, which led to the death of 17 people.

However, the committee could not fulfil one of its main aims, the official said, which was tracing the money trail from Bhavesh Bhinde, one of the main accused and the director of Ego Media, the advertising agency that owned the illegal, oversized hoarding that was erected on GRP land in Ghatkopar East. The report includes many suggestions for the BMC’s hoardings policy and recommends a ban on video hoardings, the official added.

The committee submitted its report to Fadnavis on Wednesday in a sealed envelope, which was forwarded to the state home department for further action, according to a post by the chief minister’s office on X. “The committee stated that, along with the investigation, some remedial measures have also been suggested to the government,” the post said.

The committee, set up in June 2024, was tasked with determining the cause and sequence of events leading to the hoarding collapse, investigating the role of private companies and government officials in the incident, including financial trails and any potential collusion. It was also asked to recommend revisions to hoarding policies on railway and police land to prevent future incidents.

However, the panel found it difficult to find a financial trail from Bhinde as the income tax department did not nominate an officer, while two chartered accountants who were supposed to work with the committee did not turn up, the official said. “The income tax department did not send an IRS officer for the investigation. One CA was approached and he didn’t turn up, while the second one came for one meeting and then failed to appear for the rest,” the official added.

On May 13, 2024, a massive 120x120-foot advertising hoarding, erected by Ego Media in Ghatkopar, collapsed onto a petrol pump during a spell of unseasonal rain and strong winds. Seventeen people were killed and 80 others were injured in the collapse.

The hoarding was significantly larger than the permissible 40x40 feet size and was illegally erected on GRP land without the BMC’s approval, according to the police. Investigations also revealed structural deficiencies, including an inadequate foundation.

The state government has already suspended IPS officer Quaiser Khalid, who was the GRP commissioner when permission was given to erect the hoarding. The Mumbai police have arrested five people in connection with the incident, including Bhinde, who was granted bail in October.

Khalid has denied any wrongdoing, claiming the hoarding was part of a petrol pump design approved by the DGP’s office in 2020, and he only changed the operator to Ego Media to ensure the GRP gets revenue.