More streetlights to brighten up city

Tuesday, 01 October 2013 09:29 administrator
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The New Indian Express            01.10.2013  

More streetlights to brighten up city

Areas such as Tiruvottiyur, Manali, Madhavaram, Ambattur, Valasaravakkam, Alandur, Perungudi and Sholinganallur, which have been identified with poor or inadequate lighting, will be the key beneficiaries of the plan. | EPS
Areas such as Tiruvottiyur, Manali, Madhavaram, Ambattur, Valasaravakkam, Alandur, Perungudi and Sholinganallur, which have been identified with poor or inadequate lighting, will be the key beneficiaries of the plan. | EPS

In  a move to upgrade the quality and increase the number of street lights in several areas of the city, the Corporation recently passed a resolution approving a plan to install new LED lights at a cost of `300 crore.

In its monthly council meeting, the Corporation approved a plan to install 1.1 lakh street lights at various neighbourhoods, where there have been complaints of poor lighting.

Areas such as Tiruvottiyur, Manali, Madhavaram, Ambattur, Valasaravakkam, Alandur, Perungudi and Sholinganallur, which have been identified with poor or inadequate lighting, will be the key beneficiaries of the plan.

Alandur, which is a fairly recent addition to the Corporation, will receive major upgrades as per the plan. The Corporation,  as of now, operates a total of 2,14,008 street lights in the city limits but the concentration of these lights in areas located on the fringes is fairly poor.

The resolution also promises hope for areas where there is a problem of faulty lighting. “Interior roads in Valasaravakkam and Porur do have adequate number of streetlights but the problem is with the maintenance. A fair proportion of street lights here are not functional and are in desperate need of an upgrade,” says Bhaskar, a resident of Valasaravakkam.

While the effort has been well lauded by residents of several areas, there is also widespread skepticism regarding its implementation. Pankaj Menon, a resident of Nanganallur says, “There have been one too many hollow promises about the lighting problem in our area from the local authorities. However, since a formal resolution has been passed by the Corporation, we can hope for some respite.”