Hindustan Times 04.11.2010
Civic body set to light up the festive seasonThe Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has decided to add some more glitter to Diwali festivities by repairing all faulty streetlights. From a mere 20% streetlights that were functional till 15 days ago, the MCD has managed to increase that to 80% on Wednesday. The civic agency had convened an emergency meeting in October, wherein it was decided that all street and park lights, and those installed by the discoms — BSES and NDPL — will be repaired in a time-bound manne
“According to our daily report, only 20% of all public lights in MCD areas were functional till 15 days ago. However, it has increased to nearly 80 % on Wednesday,” said a senior MCD official.
The MCD is going to ensure that the same level of illumination is maintained in the coming days as well, he added.
The civic agency caters to more than 94 % of Delhi’s total area.
The MCD decided to embark on the beautification plan after receiving complaints about faulty street and park lights from localities like Jangpura, Lodhi Colony, Lajpat Nagar, Amar Colony, East of Kailash-I, Munirka among others.
There are various kinds of lighting that come under the jurisdiction of the civic body — the first is streetlights owned and maintained by the MCD. This is followed by streetlights that belong to the BSES and NDPL.
According to Jagdish Mamgain, chairman of the MCD Works Committee, various teams were constituted for this purpose.
“We had asked all the teams to visit residential areas and get all non-functional lights repaired. It was not a difficult task as in many cases only bulb replacement was required,” he said.
To improve the overall situation in the city, the MCD had held a meeting with all the discoms. According to officials, the civic body had directed them to give them a list of all streetlights that were not working in their jurisdiction and to repair them at the earliest.
To ensure that the same level of illumination is maintained, the civic body has come up with a new policy under which only 20% of the fees will be paid to private agencies responsible for maintaining streetlights. The remaining will be paid after a period of five years of satisfactory maintenance.
