Insurance for hoardings

Nearly three months after the billboard collapse at a petrol pump in Ghatkopar that killed 17 people, the BMC has drafted a new hoarding policy.

- Shefali Parah-Pandit

The draft policy mandates insurance coverage for all hoardings, ensuring protection against loss and damage.

Also, the BMC's policy will be mandatory for all government authorities erecting hoardings and no new hoarding will be permitted either on terraces or rooftops, traffic islands and bridge gantries.

After the Ghatkopar tragedy, the BMC established a committee to frame a policy that included environment experts and engineers from the Indian Institute of Technology (Bombay), the joint commissioner of police and civic officials.

This committee has been tasked with developing comprehensive guidelines to balance the aesthetic, economic, and regulatory aspects of outdoor advertising in Mumbai.

The committee has finalised the draft of the hoarding policy and the civic body will now seek public feedback before implementing it.