Mumbai: The petrol pump, on which a huge billboard crashed at Ghatkopar East on Monday evening, claiming 16 lives and injuring 75, did not have an Occupancy Certificate (OC) said sources on Thursday.
The BMC’s N ward office is investigating the permissions given to Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) to set up the petrol pump on which the hoarding crashed. As per information received from sources, the interim licenses were issued for constructing the petrol pump on Government Railway Police (GRP) land. However, the matter is now under investigation about whether they have obtained the required operational license.
The BMC grants an OC to a building that has followed all laws, relevant building codes and regulations. The petrol pumps require licenses sanctioned by the BMC. Meanwhile, the civic body has also sent a show-cause notice to a structural engineer from Mulund who had granted a structural stability certificate to the hoarding, asking why his licence should not be suspended.
There are 1,025 authorised hoardings throughout the city. The civic body earns a revenue of Rs. 100 crores as a licensing fee through these hoardings. The hoarding owner has to obtain no-objection certificates from various departments such as the Building Proposal Department, the Tree Authority, and the Soil Testing Department. After they get these certificates, the further process involves a one-year agreement with the advertiser and a fixed deposit and rental fee. However, considering the safety measures, the BMC never permits any hoarding above 40 x 40 feet in size.
