The Moshi Waste-to-Energy Plant tragedy has come under the scanner of two national statutory bodies, with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) and the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK) taking serious cognisance of the incident and seeking detailed reports from the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) and other authorities.
The commissions have issued notices directing the concerned authorities to submit comprehensive reports within 15 days, raising questions over safety standards, accountability and the circumstances that led to the fatal incident.
According to the notice issued by the National Commission for Scheduled Castes on July 13, the Commission received a petition from Advocate Sagar Ratan Charan and decided to initiate an inquiry under the powers conferred on it under Article 338 of the Constitution of India. Notices have been served to the PCMC Commissioner and the Commissioner of Social Welfare, Maharashtra, directing them to furnish details of the action taken on the allegations within 15 days. The Commission has warned that failure to respond within the stipulated period may result in the exercise of its powers equivalent to those of a civil court, including the issuance of summons for personal appearance.
In a separate communication, the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK) informed Pune District Collector Jitendra Dudi that it has taken suo motu cognisance of the Moshi tragedy based on a representation received from the Akhil Bharatiya Safai Mazdoor Sangh and national media reports.
The NCSK letter states that on July 8, 2026, a garbage mound collapsed onto the three-storey administrative building at the Moshi Waste-to-Energy Project, resulting in the deaths of nine workers. The Commission observed that the incident indicates serious concerns regarding the safety and dignity of sanitation workers and referred to the provisions of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act, 2013.
Detailed action-taken report within 15 days
The Commission has directed the District Collector to submit a detailed action-taken report within 15 days. The report must include the date and details of the incident, the names and addresses of the victims, the names of all accused, FIR details and relevant legal sections, the number of accused arrested, the chargesheet status, and details of compensation provided to the victims’ families.
Following the notices, the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation has begun collecting information from the concerned departments for submission to the commissions. The report is expected to include the causes of the accident, the role of the responsible agencies, safety measures adopted, action taken against those found responsible, and preventive steps to avoid such incidents in the future.
The tragedy has triggered widespread concern among residents, with many questioning the administration’s handling of safety at the waste processing facility.
Citizens have demanded strict enforcement of safety norms, accountability for those responsible and comprehensive reforms to prevent such incidents from recurring.
The intervention by the two national commissions is expected to intensify the ongoing inquiry into the Moshi disaster and place greater emphasis on fixing responsibility and ensuring justice for the victims and their families.
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