Chandigarh Civic body blind to defunct lights

Chandigarh, December 2

It seems street lights are not a priority for the Municipal Corporation. Despite a number of complaints filed by residents, nothing has been done to repair defunct street lights at several dark spots of the city.

These non-functional street lights pose a threat to the safety of women returning home after work and pedestrian.

“I have complained online and even over the phone, but to no avail. Even as a large number of street lights are non-functional, the officials concerned do not bother about the safety of residents,” said Akhil Bansal, a member of Resident Welfare Association, Dhanas. Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) — a public sector undertaking — and the municipal corporation are yet to rid the city of dark spots. It may be recalled that the civic body had signed a Rs 48-crore contract with the EESL for the replacement of 48,000 ordinary street lights with LEDs in February 2017.

Recently, the MC Chief Engineer had taken note of the “poor management of street lighting service” and sought a report from the electricity wing of the civic body on the overall performance of the EESL.