Noida begins safety audit of pedestrian bridges, ad unipoles

On May 13, 2018, a hoarding fell between Bisrakh and Kisan Chowk, resulting in the death of a father and injury to a child

Noida authority chief executive officer Lokesh M on Monday directed the civil and technical cell, along with other departments, to conduct a structural audit of foot overbridges, unipoles, electrical poles, gantries, and hoardings, to ascertain if they are all legal and structurally safe.

The Noida authority CEO directed the general manager (external advertising) and deputy GMs of civil, traffic, and electrical & mechanical to get the structural audit done by certified technical institutions and take appropriate action in view of public safety. (Representational image (HT Photo))

The directions came after 16 people died due to the collapse of an illegal hoarding in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar last Monday.

The authority CEO directed the general manager (external advertising) and deputy GMs of civil, traffic, and electrical & mechanical to get the structural audit done by certified technical institutions and take appropriate action in view of public safety.

“After the audit work is done by the staff, the authority will take appropriate action to ensure public safety. The directions came in the wake of the Mumbai incident last week that claimed 16 lives. Similar accidents have happened in the past in Noida too -- vehicles got damaged and commuters were killed or injured in the collapse of advertising boards,” said a Noida authority official, asking not to be named.

On May 13, 2018, a hoarding fell between Bisrakh and Kisan Chowk, resulting in the death of a father and injury to a child.

On May 23, 2016, a heavy hoarding pole fell in front of DLF in Sector-18, causing the death of two people

According to Noida authority, big hoardings are allowed for advertisements across the city and also at major intersections.

According to Noida authority’s data, there are six unipoles installed on a BOT [build operate and transfer] basis. Apart from that, there are hoardings on 16 pink toilets, 102 on public toilets, and 31 on FOBs.

“These advertisement boards are extremely heavy. To prevent them from falling in the rain or dust storms, a structural audit has been ordered. If they do not meet the safety standards, the company will be asked to replace them and it may also be fined,” the official said.