Pune Moshi Tragedy: PCMC Chief Suspends Environment Dept Chief, Executive Engineer
Pimpri Chinchwad, 15th July 2026: Escalating action over the fatal Moshi waste depot collapse, the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) on Wednesday placed environment department chief Sanjay Kulkarni and executive engineer Yogesh Alhat under suspension, holding them prima facie responsible for lapses linked to the July 8 tragedy that left nine people dead.
The decision came after municipal commissioner Vijay Suryawanshi found the officers’ responses to the show-cause notices issued on Monday to be unsatisfactory. Along with the suspension, he ordered a departmental inquiry, stating that the explanations submitted by the two officers were inconsistent with municipal rules and failed to adequately address the allegations against them.
According to the suspension order, the two officers allegedly failed to prevent unauthorised construction and enforce mandatory environmental and safety norms at the Moshi waste depot, lapses that the civic administration said had a bearing on the fatal incident.
Kulkarni and Alhat were stripped of their responsibilities on Monday and asked to explain their role through separate show-cause notices. After examining their replies, the municipal administration decided to place both officers under suspension and initiate disciplinary proceedings against them.
The July 8 tragedy occurred when a towering garbage mound collapsed onto the administrative building of the waste-to-energy plant within the Moshi waste depot, killing nine people. Search and rescue teams worked continuously for nearly 84 hours before all the victims were recovered from the debris.
