Pune Moshi Tragedy: Rohit Pawar Seeks FIR Against Contractor, Two PCMC Engineer, Warns of Protest in 10 Days if No Action

Pimpri Chinchwad, 31st July 2026: NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar has demanded that police register a culpable homicide case against the directors of Antony Lara Renewable Energy Pvt Ltd and two Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) engineers over the Moshi waste-to-energy (WtE) plant collapse that claimed nine lives earlier this month.

Pawar also sought the dismissal of PCMC Chief Engineer (Environmental Engineering) Sanjay Kulkarni and Executive Engineer Yogesh Alhat, warning that his party would launch a “lock the municipal corporation” agitation after 10 days if action was not taken.

After submitting a memorandum to Additional Municipal Commissioners Kuldeep Pawar and Vikrant Bagade, Pawar alleged that the tragedy was the result of negligence and poor-quality work rather than a natural disaster.

He claimed that repeated notices issued by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) over the Moshi garbage depot were ignored and alleged that violations of environmental norms and Supreme Court directions had led to excessive dumping of waste. He said the WTE plant had remained shut for nearly one-and-a-half months, resulting in around 700 tonnes of untreated waste being dumped at the site every day, creating unstable garbage mounds that eventually collapsed.

Pawar further alleged that attempts were being made to shield Kulkarni and Alhat, and accused local BJP MLA Mahesh Landge of exercising influence over the garbage depot’s functioning. He also opposed any move to promote Kulkarni to the post of city engineer.

The MLA demanded that the contractor provide Rs 1 crore compensation to each victim’s family instead of the insured amount of Rs 25 lakh, bear the full education expenses of the victims’ children, and provide municipal jobs to their legal heirs.

Pawar also alleged that Executive Engineer Yogesh Alhat had obtained his environmental engineering degree while serving full-time with the civic body, questioning the legitimacy of the qualification on the grounds that the course required 75% attendance.

He further claimed that toxic leachate from the Moshi garbage depot was being discharged into the Indrayani River without treatment despite payments being made to the contractor responsible for processing it. He alleged that the pollution had contaminated nearby water sources and affected public health.

Pawar also demanded action against operators of a nearby quarry, alleging that illegal blasting may have weakened the garbage mound and contributed to the collapse.

Questioning the rescue response, he said the civic body deployed only four machines at the disaster site, while over 100 machines had been used during an anti-encroachment drive in Kudalwadi. He claimed that additional heavy equipment from Pune Municipal Corporation arrived only after 36 hours and argued that faster deployment could have saved more lives.

The MLA also called for the immediate cancellation of the detailed project reports (DPRs) for the proposed Rs 375-crore waste-to-energy and bio-CNG projects at the Moshi depot, alleging that they had been approved by the same officials facing questions over the collapse. He demanded fresh DPRs be prepared before work proceeds.

Pawar further alleged irregularities in the handling of a 16-acre quarry site adjacent to the garbage depot, claiming that waste was dumped there without biomining and that Transferable Development Rights (TDR) worth Rs 180 crore were wrongfully availed, benefiting the contractor and landowners. He called for a detailed investigation into the matter.