.jpg?width=1200)
Pimpri-Chinchwad: The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has started imposing a penalty of ₹50,000 per day on the contractor operating the Moshi waste-to-energy plant after the company failed to restart operations by Oct 1.
The plant has remained shut for four months following the collapse of its chimney, leaving the city's garbage management system under severe pressure.
The civic administration had given Antony Lara Renewable Energy Pvt Ltd, which operates the plant, until Sept 30 to complete the chimney reconstruction. The company had assured officials that the facility would resume operations at full capacity from Oct 1. However, it missed the deadline.
The contractor is now expected to take another 15 days to restart the plant, according to the civic administration. Meanwhile, garbage continues to accumulate at the Moshi depot, which has nearly exhausted its available capacity.
With public representatives demanding an urgent solution, the Environment Department has started imposing the penalty.
Plant processed 700 tonnes of dry waste daily
The waste-to-energy project has been operational since July 2023 on an 81-acre plot of municipal land at the Moshi garbage depot. It operates under a Design, Build, Operate and Transfer (DBOT) arrangement, with Antony Lara Renewable Energy Pvt Ltd responsible for the project.
Before its closure, the plant processed around 700 tonnes of dry waste daily to generate 14 megawatts of electricity.
However, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) had issued a notice to the project over air pollution caused by smoke from waste burning.
The plant's chimney collapsed on June 5, 2026, forcing the facility to shut down. Its continued closure has removed a major waste-processing facility from the city's disposal system.
Nine workers killed in July garbage mound collapse
The waste crisis at Moshi took a tragic turn on July 8, when a large mound of accumulated garbage collapsed onto the plant's administrative building during heavy rain. Nine workers died in the incident.
The collapse triggered scrutiny of safety arrangements and supervision at the depot. PCMC subsequently suspended Chief Engineer Sanjay Kulkarni and Executive Engineer Yogesh Alhat over alleged negligence.
The chimney collapse and the building collapse were separate incidents. However, both have added to concerns over the management and safety of the waste-processing facility.
City generates 1,500 tonnes of garbage daily
Pimpri-Chinchwad generates around 1,500 tonnes of garbage every day, according to figures provided by the civic administration. Of this, the waste-to-energy plant previously processed around 700 tonnes of dry waste, while the remaining 800 tonnes accumulated or required other disposal arrangements.
The growing volume of garbage has increased pressure on the Moshi depot, where available dumping space is running out. The disruption has also affected garbage collection and disposal across the city.
The contractor's responsibilities extend beyond operating the existing facility. The agreement requires the company to increase the project's capacity as the city's waste generation rises during the 21-year contract period.
However, the plant reportedly generated 14 megawatts of electricity over the past three years before its closure, raising questions about whether its capacity has kept pace with the city's growing waste output.
PCMC plans six Bio-CNG projects
To address the growing waste-management challenge, the civic administration plans to establish six Bio-CNG projects, each with a capacity of 500 tonnes. Together, the proposed facilities are expected to process 3,000 tonnes of wet waste.
The administration has also warned that the city's daily garbage generation could rise to 5,000 tonnes in the future, making additional processing capacity essential.
However, the proposed Bio-CNG projects are part of the administration's future plans and do not provide an immediate solution to the current backlog at Moshi.
Vinay Ohol, joint city engineer in PCMC's Environment Department, said the contractor had sought an extension until the end of September to make the chimney operational. However, with the chimney yet to be operational, officials said the deadline has now shifted to the end of October.
