Defunct streetlights add to commuters’ misery as dense fog engulfs holy city

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 26

With dense fog and mist enveloping the city, residents have been advised to drive with rear lights and reflectors on their vehicles to prevent accidents. On the other hand, the negligence of Municipal Corporation is proving to be an open invitation for accidents as a large number of streetlights are lying defunct in several areas.Interestingly, a private firm had been hired to repair the street lights and funds given to the company in the past, but the LED lights are not being repaired in several areas of the city. During a visit late in the evening, it was found that streets lights were non-functional in the Civil Lines area, Ajnala Road, College Road, Bhandari Bridge and other localities.The contradictory action of advising citizens to drive cautiously with their vehicle lights on while failing to illuminate crucial areas raise concerns about the administration’s commitment to public safety. The residents said that if the Municipal Corporation does not activate the street lights, the installation of 56,000 LED lights in the city would become futile.Rajinder Sharma, a local resident, said, “The Municipal Corporation may be trying to reduce its electricity bills by keeping the lights off. But the street lights need to be functional in the foggy season. The company hired for the installation and maintenance of street lights should be made accountable for non-functional street lights in various areas.” “The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) also installed the LED lights on bypass road. But there are some stretches where lights are non-functional.

The district administration should issue instructions to all the departments concerned to activate the street lights, otherwise there is no point in installing lights if they do not ensure that they are operational,” said Mandeep Sandhu, a resident.

Low visibility hits flight, rail operations

An international flight was cancelled and two domestic flights rescheduled on Tuesday due to low visibility as a consequence of dense fog enveloping the border district.

The flight from Amritsar to Kuala Lumpur was cancelled while the Amritsar-Srinagar and Amritsar-Delhi flights were rescheduled.

In the wake of poor visibility due to foggy weather, many flights and trains arrived late and departed behind their scheduled time. The day as well as night temperatures were went while the sun shone from behind a haze for a brief time at noon.

Railway officials said some trains arrived behind their scheduled time. Barring these, there were not any significant delays and cancellations as over 12 trains falling on dense fog routes were already withdrawn from operations.

The cold wave gripping the city for past many days intensified today as the overnight dense fog continued to envelop the city in the morning and evening, offering some respite only in the afternoon. The thick blanket of fog disrupted normal life as the movement of trains, buses and vehicles on road were adversely affected with temperatures plummeting. Fog descended in the wee hours and reduced the visibility, forcing drivers to switch on the headlights of their vehicles.

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Tribune News Service

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