Pune: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has taken suo motu cognisance of The Times of India report on the collapse of the administrative building at Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s waste-to-energy plant inside the Moshi garbage depot and listed the matter for hearing on Monday.The cause list of the tribunal’s western zone listed for admission said, “The news item published in The Times of India dt 09.07.2026 regarding ‘collapse of legacy solid waste mountain at Moshi dumping ground, Pune resulting in collapse of an administrative building and loss of human life and injuries (MA No. 15/2026)’.”The development came hours after the four-day search-and-rescue operation at the site concluded on Sunday with the recovery of the last missing person, taking the death toll in the tragedy to nine. A senior PCMC official said the body of Waman Kasbe, who was reported missing, was found around 1.30am on Sunday, 84 hours after the administrative building buckled after a massive mound of garbage collapsed on it on Wednesday afternoon.Rescue teams working round-the-clock recovered a body on Thursday and eight others trapped under concrete and trash in the administrative building of the plant on Saturday.Unlike the other eight victims, whose bodies were recovered from the debris of the building, Kasbe was found beneath the garbage mound a short distance from the structure. According to civic officials, he had stepped out for a walk after lunch when the 25-30m-high waste slid and buried him.According to his nephew Krushna, 50-year-old Kasbe was a resident of Godown Chowk area in Pimpri Chinchwad and worked in the housekeeping department of the plant. He is survived by wife and four children.“The construction of his new house was underway, and he was excited about it. The family is poor, and my uncle was our main support. He and his elder son were the only earning members of the family,” Krushna said.The rescue operation involved personnel from National Disaster Response Force, the Army, and the fire departments of the PCMC and PMRDA. Initial efforts were focused on the collapsed administrative building. However, the operation expanded after officials were informed that another person outside the building when the disaster struck was also missing. The removal of the garbage mound at that location began later.Doctors at Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial (YCM) Hospital said the bodies were handed over to the victims’ families after postmortems which continued until 3.30am on Sunday.“The cause of death in all the cases was crush injuries sustained due to the collapsed structure, and injuries to vital organs,” Dr Abhay Dadewar, superintendent of YCM Hospital, said.Meanwhile, opposition members in the civic body demanded accountability and warned the administration against treating the tragedy as a natural calamity.Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushma Andhare, who met the injured on Sunday, questioned the role of both the company and the civic authorities. “There are several unanswered questions. Why is nobody holding the company accountable, and why are efforts being made to shield it? If permission was granted only for the ground floor, how were two additional floors constructed? We demand that a case of culpable homicide be registered against those responsible for the tragedy including chief of PCMC’s environment department,” she said.Earlier on Saturday, a Shiv Sena corporator from PCMC alleged that the height of the garbage mound violated the Central govt’s guidelines under the Swachh Bharat Mission.“The guidelines stipulate that a garbage mound at a waste disposal site should not exceed 20m. The mound that collapsed was taller than the prescribed limit, indicating negligence by the civic administration. Those responsible must be held accountable and criminal cases should be registered against them,” she said.Municipal commissioner Vijay Suryawanshi on Saturday had said that a detailed investigation will be conducted to probe lapses and those found responsible for negligence will face action.
