The Maharashtra government on Monday set up a committee headed by former Allahabad High Court chief justice Dilip Bhosle to investigate the billboard collapse in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar area that had left 17 persons dead and more than 70 injured, reported The Indian Express.

The accident occurred on May 13 at around 4.30 pm near the Chheda Nagar Gymkhana when a powerful dust storm caused the billboard to topple. It fell on a petrol pump where dozens of people had taken shelter from the weather.

The committee has been constituted by the state home department to conduct a time-bound investigation and address public concerns regarding the legality and safety of billboards, particularly those installed on government and railway properties, reported Live Law.

The Mumbai Police registered a case against the owner of Ego Media, Bhavesh Bhinde, and others under the Indian Penal Code sections dealing with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, causing grievous hurt by an act endangering life, and causing hurt by acting rashly or negligently.

The director general of railway police conducted an internal inquiry into the incident and submitted the report to Maharashtra Police, who passed it onto the state government, The Indian Express reported.

The inquiry found that the hoarding was installed on government land in possession of the railways and that a former Railway Police officer named Quaiser Khalid had given permission to erect it near a petrol pump for a period of 10 years.

An inquiry by Veermata Jijabai Institute of Technological Institute contended that the hoarding’s foundation was inadequate and weak.

After the accident, the municipal corporation had said it had not granted permission for the billboard. It added that the hoarding measured 120x120 feet, which is much larger than the 40x40 feet permitted under the rules.

The municipal corporation also issued notices to the Central Railway and the Western Railway, asking them to remove billboards on their land that violate the rules.