Community mobilisers to oversee waste management

HUBBALLI

The Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) initiated a plan to employ community mobilisers for supervising cleanliness operations and educating residents about appropriate waste disposal methods. Starting July 15, these mobilisers will work alongside health inspectors and oversee pourakarmikas' activities. They will have the authority to photograph individuals who dispose of rubbish in public spaces, enabling the authorities to impose penalties on offenders.

Mayor Jyoti Patil in her phone-in programme, received many complaints related to garbage disposal violations among a total of 33 calls. Later, the mayor said she will focus more on proper garbage disposal and streamlining Solid Waste Management (SWM).

For a population of 15,000, one mobiliser is appointed. The Union government will give the salary of the mobilisers for three years. For three years, the total salary for all 63 mobilisers will be Rs 4.3 crore, each mobiliser will get a salary of over Rs 18,000 per month. The mobilisers will document instances of improper garbage disposal through photographs, which will help HDMC enforce penalties on offenders. They will work closely with health inspectors to maintain cleanliness standards across residential and commercial areas, she added.

The Mayor emphasised that achieving a clean and green city requires active public participation, noting that despite multiple initiatives, citizens are not collaborating with HDMC in eliminating black spots.

R Vijay Kumar, Superintending Engineer, said CCTV cameras have been installed at more than 116 black spots, with additional cameras placed in all wards using corporators' funds. He added that after verifying the functionality of these cameras, enforcement actions will commence with proper video evidence against offenders.

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Deputy Mayor Santosh Chavan said the initiative is expected to create better coordination among stakeholders involved in city cleanliness, including residents, commercial establishments, pourakarmikas and municipal authorities.