Mumbai's Hoarding Policy Set for Overhaul Amid Controversies

The Maharashtra government plans to unveil a new policy for hoardings in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. This policy announcement follows the fatal collapse of a hoarding and allegations of improper conduct in permitting and subsidies during the pandemic.

The Maharashtra government is preparing to introduce a new policy governing hoardings in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), according to state Minister Uday Samant. This development follows intense scrutiny over hoarding violations and a tragic incident last month in which 17 people were killed due to a hoarding collapse.

Speaking in the legislative assembly, Minister Samant revealed that the policy would be announced once the legislative council polls conclude. A special committee, led by former Allahabad High Court Chief Justice Dilip Bhosle, is investigating the tragic hoarding collapse in Mumbai's Ghatkopar area on May 13.

Controversy surrounds the hoardings, with accusations of permissions not being obtained for hoardings on railway land and alleged connections between hoarding firms and political figures. Of the 1,025 hoardings in Mumbai, 306 are located on railway land. BJP legislators have demanded comprehensive inquiries into hoardings erected since the COVID-19 pandemic, citing subsidies and discounts provided to hoarding owners. Minister Samant assured that all decisions from the previous government regarding hoardings will be reviewed by the investigation committee.

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