MUMBAI, May 13 -- The Ghatkopar hoarding collapse incident, which killed 17 persons and injured 80, completes one year on Tuesday, but no concrete action has been taken against the officials involved in the case. On May 13, 2024, the oversized hoarding located at a petrol pump on the Eastern Express Highway came crashing down in the gusty winds accompanying pre-monsoon rains. It fell on people waiting in their vehicles at the petrol pump as well as scores of others who had taken shelter there. The incident stirred huge outrage, and the ruling Mahayuti and government officials promised stringent action against the officers responsible for allowing the hoarding. The Justice Dilip Bhosale Commission, which was set up by then chief minister Eknath Shinde after the government faced a backlash, handed in its report to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis last week. When questioned on the status, Maharashtra additional chief secretary (home) I S Chahal said, "Justice Dilip Bhosale gave the report on May 7, and I have been on leave from May 4." Sources in the state government said that the Bhosale Commission had not blamed anyone specifically for the mishap and focused more on the dos and don'ts of the BMC hoarding policy. The commission has fixed the size for BMC hoardings at a maximum of 40x40 feet and has stipulated that the maximum height from the ground must not exceed 100 feet. It has also instructed the BMC to come up with separate hoardings and no-hoardings zones. The fatal hoarding was put up in a Government Railway Police (GRP) colony owned by the Railways. Since the colony was in a dilapidated condition, the GRP had allowed commercialisation of the land to generate funds for its upgradation. Consequently, a Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) petrol pump was set up there, with four spaces for ad hoardings. The hoarding that collapsed was located next to the petrol pump and was built in violation of all norms. BMC norms permit hoardings of a maximum of 40x40 feet but the hoarding at the petrol pump was 120x120 feet and on a weak foundation to boot. Questions were raised on how permission had been granted to build such a mammoth hoarding and why no action was taken after it was erected. Those who came under the scanner were the then GRP commissioner Quaiser Khalid and his successor Ravindra Shisve as well as Sunil Dalvi, the BMC's senior inspector of licences in N Ward. When asked, chief secretary Chahal said he had no idea what was happening to the inquiries against Khalid and Shisve. Soon after the incident, the Pantnagar police registered an FIR and the case was handed over to the Crime Branch, which arrested Bhavesh Bhinde, owner of the hoarding company Ego Media. Others arrested included former director of Ego Media Janhavi Marathe, structural engineer Manoj Sanghu and contractor Sagar Kumbhar. Marathe, during her questioning, revealed that the company had issued several blank cheques to a certain Arshad Khan in 2021 and 2022 after Quaiser Khalid gave them the approval to install the hoardings. Khan was subsequently arrested. In January this year, the Crime Branch wrote to the home department, stating that it had found "criminal misconduct" on the part of Quaiser Khalid. It mentioned that the tendering process of the ill-fated hoarding was not conducted as per the law, and misinformation was given that the land where the hoarding was constructed belonged to the railways, thus sidestepping the requirement of civic permissions. The Crime Branch suggested in its report that further investigation was required under Section 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. However, nothing further happened in the matter. Soon after the incident, Maharashtra government suspended Quaiser Khalid and initiated a departmental inquiry against him and Ravindra Shisve-the latter continues in his post although the norm is that an officer facing a departmental inquiry is never retained in the same post. No probe was ordered against junior GRP officers. A senior home department officer said that the departmental inquiry against both Khalid and Shisve was in progress. HT attempted to contact Shisve but he did not respond to calls. A top Mumbai police officer said that the police were waiting for the money trail to check if Bhinde had bribed officials, but the Bhosale Commission failed to look into this as it apparently did not get the required technical help from the income-tax authorities. "The corruption angle will be further investigated on the basis of the commission's report," said the officer, adding that the chargesheet had already been submitted. The income-tax officer that HT tried to contact had her phone switched off. The Crime Branch's Special Investigation Team summoned licence inspector Sunil Dalvi after WhatsApp chats between him and prime accused Bhinde were found. The police and the BMC suspected Dalvi of colluding with Bhinde, but no action was ever taken by the BMC. Municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, when asked, said that Dalvi's case was being looked at by the Mumbai police. Dalvi was unavailable for comment. Sources close to Khalid said that he was not to be blamed, as the hoarding was not up on February 7, 2023 when he was transferred, and the rent for the hoarding started coming in on February 17, 2023. The BMC had told the GRP and others to take down the hoarding on April 30, 2024. They were again told on May 7, 2024 and finally the hoarding crashed on May 13. Soon after the hoarding crash, the BMC designed a hoarding policy with a view to preventing similar mishaps in future. A committee comprising additional commissioner Ashwini Joshi and deputy municipal commissioner Kiran Dighavkar drafted the policy, which was, however, kept in abeyance. Gagrani told HT that the BMC would study the Bhosale Commission report, add its recommendations, and submit its own report to the state government for final approval. The petrol pump, built on the plot vacated by demolishing three old GRP buildings, was supposed to generate revenue for the GRP Welfare Fund. The Ghatkopar colony barely got any funds for building repairs. The GRP was to get just Rs.13.09 crore for ten years for the four giant hoardings allowed. Sushil Jangam, Mumbai chief of the Maharashtra Police Boys association, said, "The GRP colony of 24 buildings was set up in 1968 on a 35-acre plot. Five buildings are dilapidated and there are no funds to repair them. The residents have been shifted to another colony next to the Deonar dumping yard." Added Sarika Kumbhar, wife of a policeman, "There are 17 buildings in bad shape. Our walls have cracks and the drains are overflowing." Praveen Salunkhe, additional DGP, GRP, when questioned, said that the GRP colony had received funds for repairs and they would be disbursed soon. With regard to the BPCL petrol pump, a spokesperson said they applied for permission to restart it but were yet to receive this, as the matter was under investigation....