A delegation of over 50 corporators and officials from the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) has embarked on a 'field visit' to Indore and Ahmedabad, triggering a major controversy over its timing, cost, and lack of transparency. The trip, which began without prior public disclosure, came to light only after photographs surfaced on social media, leading to intense criticism from citizens.
Public Backlash Over Timing and Cost
Residents have sharply questioned the necessity and timing of the tour, pointing out that the HDMC is currently grappling with a severe funds crunch. The year-end timing has also been criticized, as officials in the host municipal corporations of Indore and Ahmedabad may be on leave, potentially limiting the visit's effectiveness. The delegation includes corporators from both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress.
Social media platforms have become the arena for public anger. On the HDMC Controlroom Facebook page, citizen Gopalkrishna Kamalapur questioned the junket's utility, asking if practices like twice-a-day garbage collection and a complete ban on banners—successful in Indore—could be replicated in the twin cities. Others, like Raghavendra MR, referenced past delegations, such as one to Singapore, and alleged they yielded no visible impact, merely serving as pleasure trips at public expense.
Netizens Tanu Shree and Khurshid Sayed echoed these sentiments, calling such visits an "annual phenomenon" where development remains confined to photographs, with no tangible results on the ground. This is not HDMC's first such visit; a team had also traveled to Indore in September 2024.
The Expensive Itinerary and Secretive Funding
Sources within HDMC, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed detailed logistics and staggering costs. A group of 43 corporators and 10 officials, including Mayor Jyothi Patil, Deputy Mayor, and Commissioner Rudresh Ghali, first traveled to Goa Airport by luxury bus before flying to Indore.
They met with Indore Municipal Corporation officials on Friday, proceeded to Ujjain, and are scheduled to travel from Ahmedabad to Goa on the night of December 29, finally reaching Hubballi on the morning of December 30. The estimated expenditure is a whopping Rs 1 lakh per team member on average.
The funding for this trip is linked to a Rs 2 crore grant received under the Swachh Bharat Mission-2, which reportedly has a provision to spend Rs 80 lakh for "capacity development." Despite multiple attempts to contact them via WhatsApp, Mayor Jyothi Patil and Commissioner Rudresh Ghali did not respond to requests for comment on the controversy.
A Pattern of Questions Without Answers
The core of the public's frustration lies in a perceived pattern of non-accountability. Citizens are demanding to know what concrete outcomes are expected from this expensive tour, especially when previous similar visits have failed to produce noticeable improvements in Hubballi-Dharwad's cleanliness or civic administration.
The controversy highlights a growing disconnect between civic bodies and the public they serve, emphasizing the need for greater transparency in the utilization of public funds, particularly for study tours and capacity-building exercises. The silence from the HDMC's top leadership has only fueled further speculation and criticism.
