A video circulating on social media claims that an underground hydraulic garbage bin system was inaugurated in Belagavi, Karnataka, by BJP MLA Abhay Patil, allegedly the first of its kind in India, featuring automated sensors to alert sanitation staff when the bins are full.
Evidence
A reverse image search of keyframes from the viral video traced the footage to a YouTube upload dated August 27, 2013, by a Turkish channel named Hidro-Mak. The visuals in both videos match, showing garbage being lifted from underground bins into a truck. The truck seen in the video bears the label “Üsküdar Belediyesi”, the name of a municipality in Turkey, and carries the registration number 34 EF 4247, confirming the footage’s Turkish origin.
While the viral clip is unrelated to Belagavi, the concept of underground hydraulic dustbins is indeed real and has been implemented in the city.
As per a Vijayavani report (December 10, 2022), 18 such modern dustbins were installed across Belagavi South constituency at a cost of ₹1.56 crore under MLA Abhay Patil’s development grant. Each bin, fitted with sensors, costs around ₹6.5 lakh, and a dedicated collection vehicle worth ₹80 lakh has also been deployed.
Similarly, All About Belgaum (December 9, 2022) reported that MLA Abhay Patil inaugurated what he described as India’s first underground sensor-enabled dustbin at Sri Basaveshwara Circle.
