Bhubaneswar: Less than two years after a billboard collapse in Mumbai during a dust storm claimed the lives of 17 people and injured dozens in May 2024, a large hoarding came down in Aiginia here during a spell of gusty winds on Tuesday, killing a man and injuring several others. The deceased has been identified as Sachidanand Pradhan, 38, of Dumduma.Witnesses said the victim and a few others took shelter near a shop under the large hoarding when strong winds swept through the area. The structure collapsed within seconds, trapping the man beneath.
Upon getting information, police and fire service personnel rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation. Bharatpur police later recovered the body and sent it to AIIMS Bhubaneswar for autopsy. “A case of unnatural death was registered. An investigation is underway,” inspector in-charge of Bharatpur police station, Rajendra Narayan Patnaik, said.While the precise structural category of the hoarding was yet to be certified by civic authorities, locals described it as a large display billboard mounted on a metal frame near the Aiginia Durga Mandap in the Patrapada-Aiginia stretch, where several display hoardings dot the roadside.Evening wind observations and modelled nowcasts by the IMD indicated sustained winds in the 20-25 kmph range, with peak gusts around 30-35 kmph between 4 pm and 6 pm, conditions consistent with a brief nor’wester that also hit the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.In Odisha, the Mumbai accident invited action with NHAI starting to remove large hoardings along NH-16 between Bhubaneswar and Cuttack in mid-2024, citing commuter safety and distraction risks.Tuesday’s incident is likely to reignite the debate on whether similar structural audits are needed for city roads by local bodies, sources said. Civic body officials said that hoardings are being digitally mapped for maintenance.“Even a short, sharp squall can overload an ageing billboard if its base plate, anchor bolts or welds are damaged, or if the foundation is not designed for local wind loads. Hoardings must comply with the wind criteria, have soil bearing checks for the exact site, and undergo annual structural audits,” said urban planner Piyush Ranjan Rout.
