Hubballi: Are you discarding garbage bags that contain receipts, courier covers, or any documents bearing your address or phone number? Be cautious. Officials from the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) may trace the waste back to you and dump it at your doorstep as a punitive measure. In an effort to combat rampant street littering, the civic body has decided to return garbage to the homes of offenders, utilizing video evidence and clues found within the trash to identify them. Authorities have also initiated a campaign to collect fines after re-dumping waste at the residences of violators.
Mayor's Statement on the Initiative
Mayor Jyothi Patil informed the Times of India that this initiative is being implemented alongside the ongoing footpath encroachment clearance drive. “We are making efforts to sensitize citizens against dumping garbage on roads and in open spaces. Waste collection vehicles, pourakarmikas, and community mobilizers are deployed at doorsteps. Despite this, many continue to litter. Even with CCTV cameras and citizen footage, some dump waste in blind spots. Hence, we have asked officials to trace offenders using documents found in garbage bags such as parcel covers and receipts,” she stated.
Current Progress and Expansion Plans
She added that the drive is currently underway in wards 10 and 11 of HDMC Zone-1, where four cases have been registered and fines totaling Rs 7,000 have been collected. “Action will be intensified against repeat offenders, and the initiative will be expanded,” she said.
Focus on Affluent Areas
Patil noted that such violations are often observed in posh localities. “While lower-income groups may face segregation issues, they hand over waste honestly to HDMC vehicles. However, some in affluent areas continue this unhealthy practice,” she remarked. She clarified that the aim is to create awareness rather than to penalize or shame people.
Health Inspector's Perspective
Shantagouda Biradar, senior health inspector for Zone 1 in Dharwad, mentioned that citizens often blame HDMC for garbage on streets. “If they cooperate, the city can be kept clean. People should report littering to the HDMC control room,” he said.
Public Response and Call for Cooperation
Welcoming the move, Shivashankar D Aiholi, secretary of the Hubballi-Dharwad Ward Samiti Balaga Trust, urged citizens to segregate waste and hand it over to authorized collection vehicles. “If services are irregular, complaints should be filed instead of resorting to indiscriminate dumping,” he advised.
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