Despite plaints, Ludhiana MC fails to repair damaged street lights : The Tribune India

Jun 09, 2023

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Updated At:May 31, 202307:17 AM (IST)

A damaged street light pole lying along the divider on Southern Bypass Road in Ludhiana. HIMANSHU MAHAJAN

Tribune News Service

Harshraj Singh

Ludhiana, May 30

Despite numerous pleas from residents and councillors, issues pertaining to missing street lights and damaged street light poles are yet to be resolved by the Municipal Corporation (MC).

Concerns have been raised regarding the working of the private company responsible for maintenance tasks.

Last year, it came to light that a significant number of street lights were missing on Southern Bypass Road (along Sidhwan Canal) under the MC's jurisdiction and around 10 poles were either damaged or missing on the stretch. However, the corporation has failed to take any concrete step in this regard so far.

Gaganpreet Singh, a resident of the city, said: "Several street light poles are non-functional and some are even missing. Broken poles lying along dividers pose a potential hazard. The higher authorities must take the matter seriously to facilitate the installation of new street lights and poles as soon as possible to avoid any inconvenience to commuters."

An official from the civic body had earlier stated that a number of street lights were likely stolen from Southern Bypass Road. The official had also urged the company concerned to file a first information report (FIR) regarding the same.

A senior BJP leader and former councillor, Inder Aggarwal, submitted a memorandum to the MC Commissioner on Monday, drawing attention to the deplorable condition of street light poles along Shingar Cinema Road. Recently, a pole collapsed. Aggarwal said these poles were outdated and could potentially fall at any time, posing a threat to commuters’ lives. He demanded new poles should be installed to replace the old ones. He urged the Commissioner to take speedy action to address the issue and prevent any untoward incidents from occurring.

Long wait for additional street lights

The MC has been making plans to install thousands of additional street lights in the city for the past few years. As part of the Smart City Mission, a project was proposed to install approximately 9,000 more street lights but it has not been launched so far.

Earlier, under the Smart City Mission, 1.05 lakh LED street lights were installed in the city. Subsequently, councillors raised the demand for more street lights. Initially, there was a request to install 15,000 additional street lights but the number was later reduced to 9,000.

The Executive Engineer of the MC, Manjitinder Singh, said seven missing lights had been replaced on Southern Bypass Road. Remaining lights and poles would be replaced within a week.

"On the road near Shingar Cinema, the central verge has become too low over time due to the raised road level. As a result, the poles have been accidentally damaged.

The B&R branch will raise the berms and the contractor has been asked to repair pole muffs", he said. A total of 9,000 new lights will be installed in the city, he said.

Poles on Shingar Cinema Road pose threat

A senior BJP leader, Inder Aggarwal, submitted a memorandum to the MC Commissioner on Monday, drawing attention to the deplorable condition of street light poles along Shingar Cinema Road. Recently, a pole collapsed. He said these poles were outdated and could potentially fall at any time. He demanded new poles should be installed to replace the old ones.

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The Tribune, now published from Chandigarh, started publication on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan). It was started by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist, and is run by a trust comprising four eminent persons as trustees.

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