A well-intentioned fitness event under the Swachh Bharat banner turned into a scene of disarray and disappointment in Hubballi on Sunday. The 'Run for Swachh Sankalpa', organised by the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC), was marred by poor management, leaving hundreds of registered participants, especially students, without promised kits and recognition.
Chaos from the Start: A Scramble for Basic Kits
The problems began early at the registration counter set up at Tolanakere Circle. HDMC staff failed to verify participants or manage orderly queues. Instead, they directed crowds to another counter for T-shirts and caps, only for people to find the same shortage there. Premanath Patil, a civil engineer, alleged the event was merely a formality for photographs and videos to showcase to the Union government.
Officials distributed very few T-shirts, claiming stock was over, forcing runners to rush between counters. Many who had completed the approximately 7 km run found themselves empty-handed at the finish line at Unkal Lake. "They announced through some social media influencers that they will give a smart watch to winners. However, there was no staff at the finishing point when front runners reached there," said Sunil Radder, a techie, who also accused HDMC of not closing online registrations to inflate participation numbers.
Winners Overlooked, Students Disheartened
The mismanagement extended to awarding medals and certificates. Women participants, including Geeta, Sujata, and Kavya, reported that late-arriving HDMC staff incorrectly declared winners, picking runners who finished after the top ten. They had to pressure officials to review evidence and recognise the actual winner, Manikanth Surpur.
The greatest disappointment was felt by student participants. Manjunath, Shrinivas, Sahaj, Chandan, and other school and college students asserted they received neither T-shirts nor medals. "Only empty certificates were distributed to everyone, and even persons who did not run obtained them easily. It was a badly organised event," they said, vowing to avoid future HDMC events.
Official Response and Commuter Fallout
When confronted, HDMC commissioner Rudresh Ghali stated that citizen participation exceeded expectations, leading to a situation that went out of control. A group of citizens told him directly that HDMC needs to learn crowd management and handle events with more respect for participants.
The event's ripple effects disrupted city traffic as well. For 2–3 hours in the morning, non-BRTS city buses were directed to use the BRTS corridor. This led to all city buses and vehicles using the BRTS flyover, skipping the Unkal Cross stoppage and forcing passengers to disembark at inconvenient locations like BVB or Unkal with no proper exit.
The event, intended to promote civic cleanliness and community spirit under Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0 (IEC), ultimately highlighted significant gaps in logistical planning and public engagement by the municipal authorities.
