Thane: A huge banner allegedly installed illegally on a foot overbridge along the busy Eastern Express Highway (EEH) collapsed onto a passing motorcycle on Monday morning, sparking panic among fellow commuters. The biker and his woman pillion escaped unhurt.The incident comes barely a week after a massive hoarding and its support structure toppled at Pokhran 2, following which the Thane municipal commissioner ordered an audit of all hoardings and similar structures across the city.Officials said the incident occurred around 9am near Dnyansadhana College, teen Haath naka when the biker and his pillion were travelling towards Mumbai. The banner, allegedly put up by an activist of the Shiv Pratap Sena (SPS) congratulating its leader on his birthday on a foot overbridge, reportedly came loose and crashed onto the road possibly due to heavy winds at that time.While the structure narrowly missed several other vehicles, the motorcycle was caught beneath the falling banner. The metal frame landed away from the riders, but the flex sheet wrapped around the pillion before bystanders rushed to their rescue. Both escaped without injuries.A video of the incident, shot by a passing motorist, went viral, prompting civic authorities to initiate action.A senior Thane Municipal Corporation official said no permission had been granted to install the banner as the overbridge was maintained by the MMRDA. A senior bureaucrat said nonetheless considering the gravity of the situation, they were in the process of filing a police complaint against those responsible for putting up the unauthorised banner.Meanwhile, SPS leader Sunil Chaudhari who claimed his outfit was affiliated to the Shiv Sena apologised for the incident, saying the banner had been installed by one of the party’s activists without his knowledge. Unconfirmed reports said the banner carried also images of senior Sena leaders.“One of our activists installed the banner. The incident was unfortunate. We had no intention of harming anyone and sincerely apologise to the biker and his pillion rider. We will ensure such an incident does not recur,” Chaudhari said.
