Pimpri-Chinchwad’s Moshi depot partially reopened, 6 days after collapse that killed nine

Written by: MANOJ MORE

3 min readPuneJul 14, 2026 09:49 PM IST

The accident occurred on July 8 when, amid heavy rain, a portion of the waste mountain at the Moshi garbage depot collapsed onto the administrative building of a waste-to-energy project. (Express photo by Soham Shah).

The Moshi garbage depot of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has been partially reopened for waste dumping, less than a week after a mound of garbage collapsed onto a nearby waste-to-energy plant building, killing nine employees.

A major portion of the waste generated in the city is still being diverted to facilities operated by the Khadki Cantonment Board and at Dehu.

“The Moshi garbage depot was partially reopened yesterday,” PCMC Chief Engineer Pramod Ombase told The Indian Express on Tuesday.

For now, only medical waste, CNG-related waste and kitchen waste are being dumped at the depot.

“This waste is being dumped at a location away from the mishap site,” Ombase said.

Ombase recently took charge of the Moshi garbage depot, replacing Chief Engineer Sanjay Kulkarni, who is facing suspension proceedings in connection with the July 8 collapse, when a mound of garbage fell onto the waste-to-energy plant building.

Having assumed charge on Tuesday, Ombase said he visited the depot to review the progress of debris removal.

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“After the mound of garbage slid onto the waste-to-energy plant building, a portion of the internal road was blocked. The debris from the building and the garbage are entangled and continue to block the road. As a result, vehicles carrying waste cannot move inside the depot,” he said.

Ombase said the teams clearing the debris had been asked to complete the work within three days.

“After that, we will start dumping garbage at the Moshi depot,” he said.

PCMC Deputy Municipal Commissioner Pradeep Thengale said that since the Moshi garbage depot was shut on July 8, the civic body has been transporting the city’s waste to alternative facilities, including the garbage dump behind Hotel Kalasagar in Vallabhnagar and another facility in Dehu.

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According to Thengale, the city generates 1,400 to 1,500 tonnes of waste every day, with around 400 to 500 vehicles transporting it to the Moshi depot under normal circumstances.

Meanwhile, the PCMC administration said it has received replies to the show-cause notices issued to Antony Lara Renewable Energy Pvt Ltd and two civic officials in connection with the collapse.

“The Municipal Commissioner had issued notices to the private company as well as civic officials Sanjay Kulkarni and Yogesh Alhat, asking them to explain why action should not be taken against them for alleged negligence in connection with the collapse,” Deputy Municipal Commissioner Anna Bodade said.

Bodade said the Municipal Commissioner would examine the replies before deciding on further action.

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“Appropriate action will be initiated in a day or two,” he said.

In the notice, the Municipal Commissioner accused Antony Lara Renewable Energy Pvt Ltd of “gross negligence” and said the PCMC would register an FIR against the company if its response was found unsatisfactory.

Kulkarni, who earlier headed the Moshi garbage depot, and executive engineer Yogesh Alhat were also accused of negligence and have submitted their replies.

Speaking to The Indian Express, both denied the allegations, saying the heavy rainfall had destabilised the garbage mound, causing it to collapse onto the waste-to-energy plant building. Both officials have since been divested of their responsibilities.

© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd