Two days after 14 persons were killed and around 60 injured in a billboard collapse tragedy in Mumbai, the Himachal Pradesh High Court has issued orders to the Shimla Municipal Corporation to immediately remove flex banners and advertisement boards installed without permission in the city.
The high court has also ordered to recover the expenses incurred on the removal from the advertisers concerned.
The high court has ordered Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena to consider making rules regarding the thickness of flex banners, a fixed time for keeping these and their removal within a fixed deadline. A division bench of Justice
Tarlok Singh Chauhan and Justice Sushil Kukreja passed the order after hearing various PILs.
At least 14 persons were killed and 74 injured after a 100-feet-tall illegal billboard fell in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar during a dust storm and rain on Monday evening. According to civic officials, the billboard, which was illegal, uprooted and fell on a petrol pump at the Cheddanagar Junction in Ghatkopar.
A 30-second video of the incident surfaced, showing the massive billboard falling over the petrol pump area, leaving several people trapped. Following the incident, the Mumbai police have filed a case against the ad agency owner and others for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. According to officials, Bhavesh Bhinde, the owner of M/s Ego Media Private Limited, has been booked in the incident.
Meanwhile, the Himachal Pradesh High Court also issued orders to Baddi Barotiwala Nalagarh Development Authority (BBNDA) and JBR Company to remove old waste from the dumping site at Kenduwala before the rainy season. The high court said that this posed a threat to the people living within 100 metres of Sirsa river.
The court has also ordered Shimla Municipal Corporation to install warning sign boards at places where garbage is dumped illegally. It has also been asked to mention punishment on these sign boards to punish those who throw garbage.
