Moshi Tragedy: PCMC Suspends Fire Officer For Issuing Fire NOC Without Site Inspection Before Building Collapse

Pimpri-Chinchwad: The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has suspended a fire department officer and ordered a departmental inquiry against him for allegedly issuing a Fire No-Objection Certificate (NOC) without inspecting the three-storey building that collapsed during the Moshi garbage depot tragedy earlier this month, claiming nine lives.

Municipal Commissioner Dr Vijay Suryawanshi issued the suspension order against Fire Station Officer Rishikant Chipade. The civic body has accused him of negligence, misuse of power and shielding unauthorised construction by granting the final fire NOC without carrying out a site inspection.

PCMC’s Findings…

The action comes weeks after the July 8 disaster at the Waste-to-Energy (WTE) plant at the Moshi garbage depot, where a massive mound of legacy waste collapsed onto the administrative building operated by Antony Lara Renewable Energy Pvt Ltd (ALR). Twenty-three people were trapped in the incident. 14 were rescued alive, while nine workers died after an 84-hour rescue operation.

According to the civic body's findings, permission had been granted only for the ground floor of the administrative building. However, the fire department later issued a final Fire NOC for a three-storey structure. Officials said the additional first and second floors were constructed without approval, but the discrepancy was not reported to senior authorities.

Action Taken After Show-Cause Notice…

A show-cause notice was issued to Chipade after it was found that the final Fire NOC had allegedly been granted without a proper inspection. The Municipal Commissioner rejected his reply, calling it unsatisfactory and contrary to government rules and municipal regulations. The suspension order states that Chipade failed in his duties, misused his powers to protect unauthorised construction and violated provisions of the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act and the National Building Code.

Earlier, the PCMC had suspended Chief Engineer Sanjay Kulkarni and Executive Engineer Yogesh Alhat of the Environment Engineering Department in connection with the same incident. A departmental inquiry against both officers is currently underway. They have also been accused of negligence, misuse of power and failing to act against unauthorised construction.

Meanwhile, the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis and the National Commission for Scheduled Castes have taken serious note of the tragedy. Both commissions have issued notices to the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Commissioner, the Social Welfare Commissioner and the Pune District Collector, directing them to submit a detailed report within 15 days.

Other Developments…

The commissions have sought information on the circumstances that led to the accident, the action taken against those responsible and the measures being implemented to prevent similar incidents in the future. They have also asked whether action has been initiated under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the Protection of Civil Rights Act, the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act and other applicable laws.

The Moshi tragedy remains one of the deadliest industrial disasters in the history of the PCMC. Multiple investigations, including departmental enquiries and probes by government agencies, are currently underway to fix responsibility for the incident.