PATNA: The Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) has on several occasions proved that 'promises are meant to be broken'. The PMC authorities have not only failed to keep the city clean, but also to light the streets. The corporation last year promised the Patnaites that each PMC ward would get 50 bulbs for the street lights. The high mast lights were also supposed to be working properly, but nothing has changed this year even though Rs 4.5 crore was sanctioned for this purpose during 2011-12. However, it was never utilized. And as of now, many high mast lights stand non-functional. Initially, residents used to complain but now they too have given up.

A civic body official said, "The PMC had asked for payment of the holding tax worth Rs 200 crore from Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB) which, in return, slapped the PMC with a huge electricity bill of Rs 250 crore. Both the PMC and the BSEB have held several meetings regarding the bill clearance, but to no avail so far." Patna Mayor Afzal Imam said, "The PMC used the electricity for public service. So, we expected a reduction in the bill amount."

Sources in PMC add the civic body is in a fix over who should be given the onus of maintaining the lights. It floated a tender for a tie-up in public-private-partnership (PPP) mode last month, but it was cancelled owing to alleged irregularities in the acceptance of the tender.

The major roads and areas of the city, including Frazer Road, Kargil Chowk, Ashok Rajpath, Exhibition Road, Income-Tax roundabout, Patliputra Colony, Gardanibagh, Kankarbagh, Digha, Ashiana Road, Jagdeo Path, Indrapuri, AG Colony, Lodipur, Rajivnagar, Police Lines, Rajendra Nagar and Patna City, are the worst affected due to lack of proper lighting.

There are only 23 high mast lights for 925 roads and streets falling under the jurisdiction of the PMC. According to PMC sources, the corporation had paid Rs 58 lakh to Patna Electric Supply Undertaking (Pesu) in 2000 for maintenance of streetlights from 2000 to 2004. After the fund was exhausted, a complete utilization report was submitted in 2004 and after that the PMC was requested to maintain the streetlights. However, the PMC again paid Rs15 lakh to Pesu in October 2004 for the maintenance of streetlights. Finally, when the fund was exhausted, the Pesu presented another utilization report to the PMC and handed over the charge of streetlights' maintenance to it.