The Times of India 02.04.2013
Project to replace all street lights begins
After the detailed survey and testing of LED lights on field, authorities have identified internal roads of sectors 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 and roads in Dhanas, Maloya and Manimajra. During the survey it was also found that there are some areas in sectors, colonies and villages where gap between light poles is also very wide. Therefore, while installing lights, some new poles will also be fixed along internal roads of residential areas.
As per the initial rough financial assessment, the total cost of the replacement of each fitting will be around Rs 4,150 and the lowest bidder would also provide free maintenance for a period of five years. "We have planned to cover at least one third of the city in the first phase, covering 16 sectors and three villages and colonies including Manimajra. Besides complete replacement of lights in these areas, another significant part of the project is that we are going for a new technology by installing energy-efficient LED lights and if everything goes well the remaining work will also be completed in the current year itself," said city mayor Subash Chawla. Non-functional street lights in almost all residential parts of the city had been a major cause of concern for city residents, with many accidents and incidents of crime directly being attributed to it over the years.
There are around 40,000 street lights in the city, which are divided between Chandigarh municipal corporation and Chandigarh administration for their upkeep. Therefore, both of the wings were brought together to initiate the joint project of entire replacement of street lights in the city.