Pune building collapses under waste mound: 1 dead, 8 missing after heavy rain

A day after a large portion of a three-storeyed building at the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) waste-to-energy facility in Moshi collapsed, eight persons remained untraced as rescue operations continued late Thursday night. The building was flattened by an adjacent mound of waste that toppled onto it during heavy rain.

Nine persons were rescued on Wednesday after 18 people were trapped under the debris. On Thursday morning, one person was pulled out of the rubble but was declared dead. Eight are still missing.

The building was located next to the mound of the Secure Landfill Facility (SLF). Due to heavy rain, the mound came down like a landslide on the building. There were 23 people in the building at the time; five managed to escape, leaving 18 trapped.

All 18 are employees at the waste processing facility and were on their lunch break around 1:30 pm when the incident occurred. Officials said the collapsed structure was the administrative building of the waste-to-energy project, for which PCMC has an agreement with Antony Lara Renewable Energy Ltd.

PCMC City Engineer Sanjay Kulkarni said the building was constructed at least 30 metres away from the garbage mountain. "The building was constructed following all norms. It is wrong to say we had not taken adequate safety steps. Besides, we keep clearing it. Soil is put in the garbage which hardens it. As a result, even trucks and JCBs go atop it to clear the garbage in a phased manner," he said.

Kulkarni blamed heavy rainfall for the slip. "We never thought the hardened stuff would loosen this way. It has never happened over the years. Due to heavy rainfall, water entered the garbage mound, which came loose and fell on the building. A road separates the building and the garbage. The construction of the building was done as per laid-down norms," he added.

When asked why a retaining wall was not constructed, Kulkarni said, "As the building was at a safe distance from the heap of garbage we never thought about it."

Angry relatives of the missing persons criticised the PCMC. "The building should not have been constructed so close to the mountain of garbage. The civic body does not seem to have taken enough care to ensure the safety of those working in the garbage depot," said Santosh Kumbhar, a relative of Mahesh Kumbhar, who remains untraced.

Opposition leader Bhausaheb Bhor of the NCP said the PCMC has been negligent in ensuring the safety of employees and demanded a culpable homicide case against those responsible. Narendra Bansode, president of Pimpri-Chinchwad Congress, echoed similar views, stating, "The PCMC has clearly played with the lives of employees. All those guilty should be made accountable and punished."

Outside the garbage depot, families of those still missing waited anxiously as rescue operations stretched over 30 hours. HR Assistant Mahesh Kumbhar's brother Santosh had rushed from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar upon hearing that Mahesh was trapped. "We got a call at 1 am and I left at 2 am, reached here at 10 am. No official has met me till now and I don't know if the people of the company are even here. Other than the phone call, the company has not told us anything. We just hope that everyone comes out safely," he said.

Waman Kasbe, another missing person, had worked as a cleaner at the plant for over 15 years after moving from Beed. His nephew Krushna Kasbe and other family members sat on the roadside near the rescue operations with teary eyes.