The death toll due to the hoarding collapse in Mumbai's Ghatkopar area has increased to 16. As per NDRF officials, two more bodies were found during the rescue operations on Tuesday night.
On Tuesday, BMC and NDRF officials shared that a total of 14 people had been killed due to the collapse of an illegal hoarding next to a petrol pump. A total of 75 people were also injured due to the accident and are receiving treatment for their injuries.
An FIR has been registered by Mumbai Police against Bhavesh Bhinde, the owner of the advertising agency behind the billboard. As per police officials, Bhinde is currently on the run and is untraceable.
Blame Game Over Hoarding Accident
Amid the search for Bhavesh Bhinde, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya called for Bhinde to be declared a "fugitive" by the police.
"Bhavesh Bhinde who is responsible for this accident has fled. I have requested the police to issue a red-card notice and declare him a fugitive. Bhavesh Bhinde's Ego Media has put up more than 24 illegal hoardings at various places," stated Somaiya.
The BJP leader also targeted Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) by stating that they allowed permissions for this hoarding.
"The police department of the Thackeray government had given permission for these hoardings on December 7, 2021... I have requested Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to inspect these illegal hoardings put up in 2020-2021 and remove them," he added further.
In response to BJP's tweets, Anand Dubey from Shiv Sena UBT slammed the party for resorting to politics "even after such an unfortunate incident took place".
First Red Flag For Illegal Hoarding Reported 14 Months Ago
As per a report by the India Express, the first red flag for this illegal hoarding was revealed 14 months ago. The first notice was issued in March 2023 for the license fee, second in May 2024 for damage to trees and third on May 13, the day the hoarding collapsed due to the dust storm in the city.
A senior BMC official has confirmed to the publication that no action was taken by civic authorities for the billboard between the time of the first and second notices.
