PCMC Commissioner Should ReleaseFact-Finding Report on Moshi Tragedy

• Shiv Sena leader Santosh Saundankar seeks high-level probe, culpable homicide charges against responsible officials

  Pimpri : Shiv Sena Pune district organiser Santosh Saundankar has demanded that the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) release a white paper on the Moshi garbage depot tragedy, conduct a high-level inquiry, and initiate culpable homicide charges against officials responsible for the incident that claimed the lives of nine workers.

In a memorandum submitted to PCMC Commissioner Vijay Suryawanshi, Saundankar said the tragedy had devastated several
families, leaving children without fathers and elderly parents without their earning sons. He urged the civic administration to ensure justice for the victims by fixing accountability and taking stringent legal action against those responsible.

Saundankar questioned why workers were allowed to continue working in the Waste-to-Energy plant building despite the
administration allegedly being aware of its unsafe condition. He demanded that the corporation explain the circumstances under which work continued in the hazardous structure.

He also sought the publication of a white paper detailing the bio-mining work carried out at the Moshi landfill. Despite crores of rupees being spent on solid waste management, the accumulation of massive garbage heaps and the occurrence of such a catastrophic incident reflected gross administrative negligence and failure, he alleged.

The Shiv Sena leader further demanded strict legal action against all officials and others found responsible for the tragedy. He said announcing financial compensation alone would not fulfil the government’s responsibility, as the deceased workers were the sole breadwinners of their families. 

Saundankar urged the authorities to provide substantial financial assistance to the families of the deceased, bear the entire medical expenses of the injured workers, and offer permanent employment in the PCMC to one eligible member from each affected family. He asserted that the issue would not end until those responsible were punished and justice was delivered to the bereaved families.

“The Moshi tragedy was not an accident but a consequence of administrative negligence. The guilty must face criminal prosecution, and justice must be delivered to every affected family.”
— Santosh Saundankar,
Shiv Sena Pune District Organiser