The Hindu       19.11.2010

No takers for signal maintenance

Hyderabad, Nov. 18: There are no takers for a crucial project like maintenance of traffic signals in Greater Hyderabad which has 24 lakh vehicles.

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, which is currently maintaining the traffic signals in the city, wants to wash its hands off the project and has written to the traffic police urging it to take over signal maintenance.

The GHMC has gone to the extent of assuring the traffic police that the civic body will bear all costs involved in installation and maintenance of traffic signals, provided that they take over the job.

The traffic cops, however, are not willing to take on the responsibility. “We are already short staffed. On top of that we do not have trained technicians or engineers qualified in traffic signal management,” a senior officer in the traffic police said.

Over the last two years, the GHMC has received sharp criticism for not being able to maintain traffic signals properly. It has been outsourcing the job to private agencies and the results have been far from satisfactory.

Officials in the GHMC said lack of availability of qualified technicians in signal maintenance was one of the main reasons for the project floundering.

The GHMC additional commissioner (traffic/transport), Mr S. Subba Rao, said the GHMC was spending over `70 lakh per annum on maintenance of traffic signals in the city. “We will give this amount to the traffic police if they take over the project,” he said.