In the Lalkuan Nagar Panchayat office, Sonu Kumar has become an indispensable force, a clerk whose vision extends far beyond paperwork. Known as the supportive right hand to colleagues and community members alike, Sonu possesses a rare gift which is his ability to spot opportunities where others see only challenges, and to transform local needs into sustainable, scalable solutions.
His latest achievement began with a simple observation. In July 2024, Sonu and his senior, Mr. Rahul, former executive officer, Lalkuan, noticed a growing problem in the town around its waste collection demands. This led to a rise in complaints from the community, and an increase in the workload on the panchayat staff juggling between multiple responsibilities.
Rather than accepting these limitations, Sonu mustered a dedicated team focused solely on door-to-door waste management which involved waste collection from individual doorsteps to resource recovery at the waste segregation site. To solve this, on July 17, 2024, the Gulmohar Self-Help Group was born, named after the vibrant flowering tree standing guard right outside the Panchayat office.
While forming Gulmohar, Sonu’s initial thought revolved around forming a women's SHG, but practical realities around the substantial workload, availability of female drivers in town, and existing household responsibilities made this approach impracticable at that stage. “Instead, he assembled a team of five energetic young men—Sachin, Monu, Abhishek, Saurabh, and Rishabh—as the core members of the SHG. ‘They are incredibly hardworking and always willing to take initiative,’ Sonu says with evident pride, adding with a smile that he often plays a mentoring role, guiding and motivating them to stay committed to their mission.” The Gulmohar SHG is now widely known within the town for their dedication and agility.
Today, these efforts by the Panchayat office speak volumes. Lalkuan has now been recognized as a ‘Promising Swachh City in Uttarakhand’ and is designated as a mentor city under the Swachh Shehar Jodi initiative along with receiving several recognitions and acknowledged as the ‘no. 1 city in Uttarakhand for its waste management model’. Through efforts of the Gulmohar SHG, the Panchayat office continues to ensure comprehensive door-to-door waste collection throughout Lalkuan town and its surrounding areas, including the Indo-Tibet Border Police quarters located outside the town’s periphery. A solution that has led to diminishing complaints, efficiency, and profit generation for the SHG along with the community’s acceptance of improved service delivery.
As Sonu looks toward the future, he returns to the symbolism of that Gulmohar tree. "My hope," he says, "is to see the SHG continue to bloom and flourish just like the tree we're named after, growing stronger, reaching wider, and bringing beauty to our community."