11-member SIT to probe Moshi garbage dump tragedy

Pune: Pimpri Chinchwad police have formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the July 8 collapse of a massive garbage heap at Moshi garbage depot that killed nine people.A Pimpri Chinchwad police officer said the 11-member SIT, headed by deputy commissioner of police (Zone III) Maruti Jagtap, would investigate the cause of the collapse, fix accountability and examine whether safety norms were violated.“The SIT will examine the technical reasons behind the collapse. Investigators will also scrutinise the role of the civic administration, the company operating the facility and other agencies involved. Statements of officials and employees, technical reports and relevant documents will form part of the investigation,” Jagtap said.Besides Jagtap, two assistant commissioners of police, a senior police inspector, a crime branch police inspector, an assistant police inspector, a police sub-inspector and four police personnel are in the team.Jagtap told TOI, “The team has started investigating the case and we would decide the course of action after completing the probe.”Meanwhile, NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar on Thursday alleged that Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation officials and the directors of Antony Lara Renewable Energy Pvt Ltd operating the waste-to-energy project at Moshi garbage depot were responsible for the tragedy and demanded that FIRs be registered against them.Pimpri Chinchwad police had earlier registered a case against two officials of the company associated with the waste-to-energy project, on charges including culpable homicide not amounting to murder. PCMC suspended its chief engineer of the environment department and an executive engineer for alleged negligence.Pawar, in a meeting at PCMC headquarters on Thursday in the presence of additional municipal commissioner Vikrant Bagade, said that criminal cases should be registered against all those responsible for the tragedy. Speaking to reporters later, he said that if no concrete action was initiated within the next 10 to 12 days, a huge agitation would be launched across Pimpri Chinchwad.Pawar said the families of the injured workers have raised serious concerns about the functioning of the waste-to-energy project. “Several rules were violated during the implementation of the project, and PCMC ignored repeated notices issued by Maharashtra Pollution Control Board,” he said.