Dark spots to be lit up soon in Chandigarh

Sandeep Rana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 16

About 8,500 dark spots in gardens and on city roads will be lit up in the next three months as the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation has allotted the work to two private firms.

Of the total, 6,000 dark spots are in gardens and 2,500 are on roads. Street light poles were erected through a private company around two years ago, but the work for the fitting of lights was to be allotted separately.

MC to get 2,000 fittings today: official

We will receive about 2,000 fittings on February 17. For completing the work, three-month time has been given. — A senior MC official

However, the MC failed to hire any agency to carry out the work. The civic body had initially asked Energy Efficient Services Ltd (EESL), a public sector undertaking, to float a tender and hire a company for the purpose. But it could not find any takers for the project despite floating tenders several times.

Then the MC took over the job and floated two tenders and finalised two companies for fittings.

“We will receive about 2,000 fittings tomorrow. For completing the work, three-month time has been given,” said a senior MC official.

A survey to identify the dark spots was conducted in 2017. Even after poles were erected and wiring completed, it took about two years for the MC to start the fitting work.

While, the work for erecting the poles, which was carried out for Rs11 crore by a private contractor, is still under litigation.

“The MC initially should not have involved any third party for the dark spots project. Why couldn’t the MC float tenders itself?” asked Devinder Singh Babla, Leader of the Opposition.

Residents have been complaining that due to the inordinate delay, they are finding it hard to go for a walk in the late evening hours. At some places, miscreants take the advantage of dark spots and undertake anti-social activities or petty crimes.