In the wake of the Mumbai hoarding tragedy, the the municipal commissioner of Navi Mumbai has issued stringent directives to ensure the structural integrity and safety of billboards across the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) area. This comes as part of a broader effort to prevent such incidents and safeguard public spaces. The civic chief Dr Kailash Shinde held an urgent meeting and stressed the need to follow through on previous instructions to conduct a comprehensive structural audit of all hoardings. This includes billboards located in interior areas of NMMC, along highways, railway boundaries, and within MIDC zones. Officials have been tasked with promptly collecting and submitting data on the total number of hoardings, their sizes, and the number of authorized billboards within the NMMC jurisdiction.
In addition, the civic chief asked to mark officially authorized billboards with proper signage and to remove any illegal or unauthorized structures. To mitigate the risk of accidents caused by falling billboards, especially during adverse weather conditions such as stormy winds and heavy rains, the civic chief has called for widespread public awareness campaigns. Citizens are urged to avoid taking shelter near billboards during such natural calamities.
Meanwhile, Namdev Bhagat, the Navi Mumbai President of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and former chairman of CIDCO, claimed that he had written to NMMC about illegal hoardings around a year ago. However, civic officials did not take any action on the complaint. Bhagat also showed the letter where the then municipal commissioner had marked it as important and directed officials to take action. “After the incident in Pune, where five people died due to a falling hoarding, I wrote this letter. Now, after the election, I will lead a morcha,” said Bhagat. A senior official from the licensing department of NMMC stated that a meeting with hoarding contractors was held in March and April. They were given notice in April to conduct a structural audit and submit a report. Immediate action will now be taken against those who do not submit a report within two days and against any hoardings installed without permission.
Beyond billboards, the municipal commissioner asked all four wards to conduct a survey and report on the safety of mobile towers situated across various locations. Societies and colonies are advised to take necessary precautions to secure these installations. The administration of Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) has taken action following the incident. Dr. Prashant Rasal, the municipal commissioner, held a meeting and directed officials to conduct a survey of illegal and dangerous hoardings across the civic area and submit a report within a week. The civic body also directed officials to first concentrate on dangerous hoardings and initiate action.