Mumbai Hoarding Tragedy: GRP Leased Land to Ad Firm Sans Security Deposit

In a shocking revelation, it has come to light that the Government Railway Police (GRP) granted permission to M/s Ego Media Pvt Ltd for the installation of a massive billboard in Mumbai, which disastrously collapsed last month, resulting in the death of 17 individuals. This permission was granted without the requisite security deposit, officials disclosed on Thursday. The tragic incident occurred on May 13, when the 120x120 feet hoarding fell onto a petrol pump in suburban Ghatkopar amid strong winds and heavy rainfall, causing 17 fatalities and injuring 74 others.

The land where the hoarding was erected is owned by the GRP, and the authorization for its placement near a petrol station was sanctioned for a decade with the nod from then-GRP Commissioner Quaiser Khalid. According to a senior official, the advertising firm was remitting Rs 13 lakh monthly as rent for the land. Despite this arrangement, it was noted that a security deposit of Rs 40 lakh, which could have been collected based on the monthly rent, was not obtained from M/s Ego Media Pvt Ltd by the then-commissioner.

Historically, GRP had secured a Rs 40 lakh deposit from Ego Media for three billboards allocated to them following proper tendering procedures. The current investigation seeks to uncover why GRP, under Khalid's leadership, refrained from collecting a security deposit from the firm for this particular hoarding. Additionally, the inquiry extends to the involvement of then-GRP officials and Mumbai civic authorities in granting permissions and completing other formalities for the billboard.

To thoroughly investigate this calamity, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been established by the police. Furthermore, the Maharashtra government has constituted an independent committee led by former Allahabad High Court chief justice Dilip Bhosle to delve into the circumstances leading to the hoarding's collapse.

In connection with this tragic event, several arrests have been made by the Mumbai crime branch. Those apprehended include Ego Media owner Bhavesh Bhinde, former director Janhavi Marathe, BMC-approved engineer Manoj Sanghu—who issued a stability certificate for the hoarding—and another individual. These developments underscore the seriousness with which authorities are treating this incident and their commitment to uncovering the truth behind this avoidable tragedy.