Pune, 30th July 2026: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has taken serious note of the tragic collapse of a garbage mound at the Moshi waste processing facility in Pimpri-Chinchwad that claimed nine lives. The tribunal has constituted a three-member joint committee to investigate the incident and submit a detailed report within one month.
The order was passed by a bench comprising Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh and Expert Member Dr. Sujit Kumar Bajpayee. The committee has been directed to inspect the accident site, examine the reasons behind the collapse, assess whether environmental norms and waste management rules were followed, and identify the responsibility of the agencies involved.
The joint committee includes representatives from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Pune District Collector's Office. It will review the environmental clearances, waste management practices, safety measures and the actions taken by the authorities before and after the incident.
The tribunal was hearing a petition filed by Sudarshan Kelgane, Apoorva Tribhuvan, Ekta Kamble, Nandita Kahate, Sanidhya Velankar, Haripriya Gaikwad and Laxmi Kadu through advocate Asim Sarode.
The petition alleges that the accident resulted from improper, illegal and unscientific solid waste management by the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation.
It also claims that the private waste processing project violated environmental clearance conditions and that the administrative building affected by the collapse had been constructed dangerously close to the garbage mound. According to the petition, proper implementation of the approved waste processing technology could have prevented the excessive accumulation of waste and avoided the tragedy.
The NGT has issued notices to the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), the project management, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board and the Central Pollution Control Board, directing them to file their responses within four weeks.
Meanwhile, police have registered a culpable homicide case against the project head and the security officer of the waste processing facility. The municipal corporation has also suspended its Chief Engineer and Executive Engineer from the Environment Department pending completion of the inquiry.
Advocate Asim Sarode said the Moshi tragedy was not merely an accident but the result of negligence and serious irregularities in waste management.
He said every decision taken in the name of waste processing must be scrutinised, accountability must be fixed, and strict legal action should be taken against all those found responsible. He added that the petitioners would continue pursuing the matter in court until those responsible are held accountable.
