One worker died and three were injured after a trench collapsed during sewage pipeline work near Nanded City under Pune’s JICA project.
Investigation revealed the contractor subcontracted work without the mandatory approval from the consultant, violating tender conditions.
Pune Municipal Corporation has issued show-cause notices to both the contractor and consultant; a report has been sent to JICA.
Pune, 7th August 2025: A tragic incident during the JICA-funded Mula-Mutha river clean-up project in Pune has raised serious questions over safety and contract compliance. On Monday evening (August 4), a pile of soil collapsed during sewage pipeline work near Nanded City, trapping four workers. One of them died, while the other three were injured and are currently undergoing treatment.
The sewage line work is part of a broader initiative to treat 100% of the city’s wastewater. For this, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) had appointed MJF and Pell Frischmann as consultants, while the execution contract was given to a company named Enviro Control Systems.
According to the tender conditions, the contractor was required to obtain prior approval from the consultants before subcontracting any part of the work. However, the PMC’s internal investigation has revealed that no such approval was taken. This constitutes a clear breach of contract terms.
The same consultancy firm had also been involved in a similar sewage project accident in Hubballi (Karnataka) in 2018–19, where three laborers lost their lives. While drawing attention to this background, PMC officials expressed concern over repeated lapses in supervision and safety measures.
Taking serious note of the Nanded City accident, PMC has issued show-cause notices to both the consultant and the contractor. A detailed report on the incident has also been sent to JICA for review and further direction.
According to Chief Engineer of the JICA project, Jagdish Khanore, both parties were obligated to follow the tender conditions strictly. “The contractor was supposed to take the consultant's permission before subcontracting the work, but that was not done. Therefore, we have served show-cause notices to both the contractor and consultant. A report has also been forwarded to JICA.”
