Mumbai: Central Railway Removes Four Hoardings, Reduces Size of 14 Others Following Ghatkopar Incident

Following the Ghatkopar incident, Central Railway has removed four large hoardings and reduced the size of 14 others in compliance with a Supreme Court order, according to information obtained through an RTI request filed by civic activist Anil Galgali.

Civic activist Galgali had specifically inquired about the measures taken by Central Railway following the Supreme Court's order. B. Arun Kumar, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Central Railway, disclosed the actions in a detailed list. “Of the 18 hoardings listed, four have been permanently removed. These include two hoardings at Sandhurst Road (3,200 ft each), one at Chunabhatti (3,200 ft), and one at Tilak Nagar (1,598 ft),” said Galgali. The hoardings were managed by agencies such as M/s Roshan Space, M/s Pioneer, and M/s Alakh.

In addition to the removals, 14 hoardings have been resized. The resized hoardings include three in Wadi Bandar-Byculla, five in Chunabhatti, three in Suman Nagar, and two in Tilak Nagar. The companies responsible for these hoardings include Devangi Outdoor (7 hoardings), M/s Roshan Space (2 hoardings), M/s Zest Enterprise (2 hoardings), M/s Wallop, M/s Kothari, and M/s Nucleseats (1 hoarding each), as detailed by Galgali.

Background: The Ghatkopar Hoarding Incident

On May 13, a massive hoarding in Ghatkopar collapsed onto a petrol pump, leading to the tragic loss of 17 lives and injuring over 60 people. According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), there are 1,025 licensed hoardings within its jurisdiction, of which 573 are illuminated, 382 are non-illuminated, and 70 are LED-lit. Andheri (West) has the highest concentration of hoardings with 134, followed by Khar with 129. Areas such as Mulund, Fort, and Colaba have the fewest licensed hoardings.