Pune: Only Ground Floor of Collapsed Three-Storey Moshi WTE Building Had Occupancy Certificate

Moshi, 11th July 2026: The ground floor of the administrative building that collapsed at the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s (PCMC) Waste-to-Energy (WTE) plant in Moshi had received an occupancy/completion certificate, while the upper two floors were allegedly constructed without approval, according to information that has emerged during the preliminary inquiry.

Officials from the PCMC’s building permission department said a completion certificate was issued only for the ground floor on July 27, 2023. However, City Engineer Manoj Sethiya said there is no record of any permission being granted for the construction of the first and second floors.

Despite the absence of approval, the upper floors were reportedly being used to house a canteen, a conference room and cabins of the senior officers.

The inquiry has also revealed that the environment department had applied for revised building permission on July 26, 2023, just a day before the completion certificate for the ground floor was issued. The sequence of events has raised questions over how the upper floors came to be constructed and used without statutory approval. Civic officials said a detailed investigation is underway and further facts are expected to emerge.

The revelations come in the wake of the July 8 collapse at the PCMC’s Waste-to-Energy plant in Moshi, where a massive heap of legacy waste, destabilised by heavy rainfall, slid onto the three-storey administrative building around 1.30 pm. At least eight people are still believed to be trapped under the debris, as rescue teams continue search even after over 64 hours of the incident.

The impact caused a large portion of the building to collapse, trapping several employees beneath the debris. While a number of workers were rescued in the initial phase of the operation, several others remained trapped as rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Army, fire brigade and other emergency agencies continued search operations.

The rescue effort has been hampered by the unstable condition of the structure, the presence of toxic gases emanating from the legacy waste and intermittent rain. The incident has triggered serious questions over waste management practices, structural safety and possible administrative lapses, with demands for a comprehensive inquiry into the circumstances leading to the collapse.