Mumbai: On 1 July, state minister Uday Samant announced in the legislative assembly that the Maharashtra government is soon to introduce a new policy regarding hoardings in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). This development comes just two months after the collapse of an illegal hoarding in Ghatkopar, Mumbai, which resulted in 17 fatalities and left over 75 people injured on May 13.
Samant stated, "A policy will be unveiled once the code of conduct for the legislative council polls ends, following the declaration of results for the graduates and teachers constituencies."
A committee led by former Allahabad high court chief justice Dilip Bhosle is currently investigating the 13 May hoarding collapse in the Ghatkopar area. Additionally, it was revealed that out of the 1,025 hoardings in Mumbai, 306 are situated on railway land.
During the assembly session, BJP legislator Ram Kadam alleged that Bhavesh Bhinde, whose firm was responsible for erecting the collapsed hoarding, had been photographed with Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray. Kadam insisted that Bhinde's involvement should also be investigated.