Maharashtra government to introduce new stockpiling policy in Mumbai metropolitan region

Mumbai: On July 1, Chief Minister Uday Samant announced in the legislative assembly that the Maharashtra government will soon introduce a new billboard policy in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). The development comes just two months after an illegal billboard collapsed in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar on May 13, killing 17 people and injuring over 75 others.

Samant said: “The policy will be revealed after the end of the code of conduct for legislative council elections, after the results for graduate and teachers constituencies are declared.”

A committee headed by former Allahabad High Court judge Dilip Bhosle is currently investigating the May 13 collapse of a billboard in Ghatkopar area. It has also been revealed that of the 1,025 billboards in Mumbai, 306 are on railway land.

During the assembly session, BJP legislator Ram Kadam alleged that Bhavesh Bhinde, whose company was responsible for constructing the collapsed fence, was photographed with Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray. Kadam insisted that Bhinde’s involvement should also be investigated.