E-Paper
NGT constitutes joint committee to probe Moshi tragedy that claimed 9 lives
NGT western zone bench constitutes three-member joint committee to investigate the July 8 collapse of legacy waste mound at Moshi Waste-to-Energy project in Pimpri-Chinchwad that claimed nine lives
Pune: The western zone bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has constituted a three-member joint committee to investigate the July 8 collapse of a legacy waste mound at the Moshi Waste-to-Energy (WTE) project in Pimpri-Chinchwad that claimed nine lives and left several others injured. The committee has been directed to inspect the site and submit a factual as well as action taken report within one month.
The order was passed on July 21 by a bench comprising Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh, Judicial Member, and Sujit Kumar Bajpayee, expert member, while hearing an original application filed by Advocate Sudarshan Kelgane and six others against the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) and four other respondents.
Observing that the application raises a “substantial question relating to the environment,” the tribunal admitted the matter and directed the registry to issue notices to all respondents. They have been asked to file their reply affidavits within four weeks. The matter has been posted for further hearing on August 13.
The committee will comprise one representative each from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the district collector. The MPCB has been appointed as the nodal agency to coordinate the inquiry and provide logistical support.
The application seeks a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the collapse of the waste mound at the project. According to the plea, a portion of the accumulated legacy municipal solid waste collapsed onto the administrative building within the waste processing facility on July 8, killing nine people and injuring several others.
The applicants contended that the alleged lapses violated the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, and the Solid Waste Management Rules, thereby posing a serious threat to human life, public health, and the environment.
During the hearing, counsel for the applicants, Advocate Asim Sarode, referred to the consent to establish issued by the MPCB on August 16, 2019, to M/s Antony Lara Renewable Energy Pvt Ltd for setting up a waste-to-energy plant using incineration-based technology.
The applicants argued that the originally approved incineration-based technology was never implemented, leading to the accumulation of large quantities of waste at the site over the years, which they alleged ultimately resulted in the collapse of the legacy waste mound.
The plea also alleged that the administrative building was constructed only 12 metres from the sanitary landfill, although the approved proposal required a distance of 30 metres. However, the tribunal noted that this claim was based on a report published in a well-known English newspaper and sought clarification from the MPCB on whether any minimum distance norms exist for constructing administrative buildings near landfill sites.
The tribunal has directed the applicants to serve copies of the application and supporting documents on all respondents and members of the joint committee. It has also instructed the MPCB to file the committee’s report through e-filing before the next date of hearing.
