Ghatkopar hoarding was installed on weak foundation, says report

A hoarding that collapsed in Mumbai last month claiming 17 lives was installed on a weak foundation, as per a report submitted by a technological institute to police, officials said on Thursday. While ideally any hoarding structure in the city should be able to withstand wind speeds of 158 kilometres per hour, the billboard that collapsed in Ghatkopar could withstand a wind speed of only 49 kmph, according to the report submitted on Wednesday. On the day of the incident, the wind speed was 87 kmph, an official said. As many as 17 persons died and 74 others were injured after the illegal hoarding, measuring 120 feet x 120 feet in size, crashed onto a nearby petrol pump during a dust storm and unseasonal rains here on May 13, as per officials. After the tragedy, the Brihamumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) asked the Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI) to find out reasons behind the hoarding crash. The institute on Wednesday submitted the report to the Mumbai crime branch,