The five-member inquiry committee headed by Chief Justice (Retd) Dilip Bhosale, which probed the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse of May 2024, has termed the incident a case of criminal conspiracy and regulatory failure. It has recommended the registration of FIRs against the concerned police and BMC officials, along with the advertisers.
Report Tabled in Assembly
The 854-page report, including a 34-page recommendations section, was tabled in the State Assembly on Tuesday. It outlines measures to prevent such tragedies in the future.
Appointed in June 2024, the committee comprised professor Deepankar Choudhury (former head of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay), Dr Ashwini Joshi (Additional Municipal Commissioner, BMC), Nikhil Gupta (ADG, Police), and Chetan Nikam, Deputy Secretary, Mantralaya.
Five Key Focus Areas
The recommendations are organised under five heads: structural stability, traffic safety, pedestrian safety and convenience, design and environmental considerations, and enforcement.
Referring to the collapse, which left 17 dead and 74 injured, the report notes that the sequence of events indicated collusion between private parties and officials to bypass BMC norms. In addition to FIRs, it recommends prosecution and recovery of costs from those responsible.
Stringent Actions
The panel has also called for criminal prosecution, heavy fines, and immediate removal of illegal structures, with costs recovered from offenders. It has recommended stringent action, including blacklisting structural engineers found issuing false or defective stability certificates.
It further suggests fines and prosecution under existing laws for all involved in erecting illegal hoardings, including beneficiaries whose images are displayed – potentially implicating political figures.
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