Community mobilisers missing from HDMC SWM operations

Hubballi: The HDMC appointed 63 community mobilisers, with effect from July 2025, for supervising cleanliness operations and educating residents about appropriate waste disposal methods. They were supposed to work alongside health inspectors and oversee pourakarmikas' activities beginning at 6am. They were supposed to be hired for 3 years at a monthly remuneration of over Rs 18,000, under the Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0 programme. However, now they are not seen in any HDMC activity for 2-3 months.Shivashankar Aiholi, secretary, Hubballi-Dharwad ward Samiti Balaga Trust, told TOI that the HDMC hired them to document instances of improper garbage disposal through photographs to penalise offenders. "They were seen with garbage collecting vehicles and announcing only one sentence: ‘Please separate dry and wet garbage from tomorrow.' They neither penalised any offenders nor took any photographs. Earlier they used to be seen with awareness programmes conducted by HDMC. We have not seen them for almost two months," he shared.Requesting anonymity, a community mobiliser said that she was getting monthly remuneration of Rs 12,000 but work was more. "Hence I quit the job," she added.Prema N, a teacher in Dharwad, suspected that all community mobilisers were not trained about disposal of garbage. "Once I gave some dried vegetables in wet waste and mobiliser insisted me to put in dry waste. Then I had to take a class for him. The HDMC is simply spending money on them. If pourakarmikas were sensitised, that was enough," she commented.Veerappa Arakeri, founder of Akka Foundation Trust, Hubballi, said that he complained to the PMO saying separation of dry and wet waste was not being done properly in twin city. "Mobiliser and recycler were appointed with each garbage collecting vehicle. Probably HDMC might have got instruction from the union govt. If they are deployed with other works, HDMC should keep public in loop," he demanded.HDMC control room, an the official Facebook page, also has no update about activities involving community mobilisers from Feb 17.Mayor Jyothi Patil asserted that community mobilisers have been deputed for census work. "However, we will check and inform the concerned official to ensure proper work by them," she added.