Pic: Construction debris at Akshay ColonyHubballi: Several prominent localities here have turned into garbage dumps over the past two-three days, sparking public outrage, despite the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) deploying garbage collection vehicles across the city.Officials said more than 270 HDMC garbage collection vehicles were pressed into service, along with additional outsourced vehicles. However, waste continued to pile up at major junctions and public spaces within the corporation limits. Municipal officials said walls had been painted and rangoli drawn at several locations to discourage dumping, but the problem persisted.Garbage heaps were seen in Deshpande Nagar, along the Ashoknagar railway track-side road, near the KMC-RI back gate, Pintos Circle, Nehru Stadium and Station Road.HDMC officials said indiscriminate dumping was rampant during early-morning hours, when many residents step out for walks or jogs, turning open public spaces into dumpyards.A vacant site next to Durga Vilas Hotel has emerged as a dumping yard, with hotels, eateries and commercial establishments allegedly discarding waste there regularly. Large quantities of construction debris were also dumped at Akshay Colony, making it difficult for motorists to pass through the area.While HDMC maintains that it has taken steps to clear the garbage, residents alleged lapses in timely clearance and waste management. Naveen Hulkoti, a motorist from Hubballi, said construction debris dumped at Akshay Colony had disrupted traffic flow and urged the civic body to take strict action against offenders.Vinod Hukkeri, a resident of Akshay Colony, said Hubballi-Dharwad should be made a garbage-free city and called on HDMC to clean up the area at the earliest.Bhagyashree Huggi, the HDMC Zone-5 zonal assistant commissioner, said household waste and construction debris were being dumped in Akshay Colony and that the area would now be closely monitored. “A health inspector has been dispatched for spot inspection,” he said.
