Mumbai hoarding collapse spurs Municipal Corporation of Delhi safety directive
Samad Hoque
New Delhi, May 15
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has issued an advisory mandating a structural audit of billboards in the Capital following a hoarding collapse in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar area, which resulted in 14 fatalities and injured 74 persons. The advisory was issued on Tuesday. There are 1020 billboards in Capital.
Earlier this week, Mumbai witnessed a strong thunderstorm during which a 100-foot metal structure collapsed on a nearby petrol pump.
The MCD directed advertisers and contractors empanelled with the advertisement department of the corporation to carry out a structural audit of their unipoles or advertisement structures and to fix any issues identified.
“Though a structural stability certificate is furnished by the companies/firms/proprietorships upon installation of the advertisement structure, a structural audit by experienced and practicing structural engineers of each advertisement site should be carried out, and a report in this regard shall be submitted to the department within three days of the issuance of this advisory,” the advisory read.
A senior MCD official said according to the mandated regulations in the Capital, outdoor advertisements are limited to the size of 20×10 ft near roads that are less than 100-m wide and 26×13 ft at roads more than 100-m wide.
“Meanwhile, billboards on malls, shopping complexes and multi-storey parking lots are mandated to be at 50 sq m. Also, predominantly the advertisement boards in Delhi are regulated at 20×10 ft,” the official said.
“The advertisers and contractors are required to submit a structural stability certificate to ensure safety. Additionally, for large format advertisements, contractors must sign public liability insurance. Any billboard or structure found violating these norms is subject to penalty, removal of the structure and blacklisting of the contractor,” the official added.
The MC is also conducting a crackdown on illegal hoardings, posters, signage and banners in alignment with the directives of the Election Commission for the Lok Sabha elections.
