The Times of India                 03.05.2013

NMC moves to appoint new firm to maintain street lights

NMC had entered into a Rs 40 crore agreement with NM Enterprises in
December 2011 for strengthening street light infrastructure, including
erecting 17,500 new street light poles, with work to be completed in 14
months. The work order included replacement of highmast lights with
induction lights, repair of fuse boxes, replacement of cables etc, but
the firm has failed to meet the deadline.

Taking cognisance of
the slow pace of work, the then civic chief Sanjeev Jaiswal had directed
executive engineer (electric) Sanjay Jaiswal to initiate action and
issue notice to the firm. When NMC did not receive any reply from the
firm, it started the process to terminate the tender.

However,
the firm approached the state government against NMC. The urban
development department in Mumbai rejected the firm’s plea and also
justified NMC’s decision to forfeit the company’s bank guarantee of Rs
75 lakh.

After the UDD decision, the NMC recently completed the
formality to forfeit Rs 75 lakh and also terminated the contract,
confirmed a senior officer from NMC’s electrical department. “Now, we
have started the process to float fresh tenders,” the officer said.

Sources said NMC presently has over 93,511 street lights in its
jurisdiction, of which around 10,000 are continuously out of order. This
has affected the illumination on many streets across the city. Most of
the affected areas are along the 42-km Ring Road in the city. The cables
of most electric poles are frayed and damaged, which is causing street
lights to go on the blink frequently.

A resident of south Nagpur Abhay Kolarkar
ridiculed the corporation’s functioning. He said that it is more than
nine years since motorists and residents living along Pratap Nagar Ring
Road have seen all the street lights functioning properly. “However, the
same civic machinery is managing street lights in Civil Lines area very
well,” he said.

In the past, even the traffic police have
raised this issue of lack of maintenance of street lights. “People,
especially motorists, have a lot of trouble finding their way through
the darkness,” said a senior traffic policeman. He pointed out that many
important roads in Indora zone are so dark that drivers have to use
high-beam, making it difficult for motorists and two-wheeler riders
coming from the opposite direction.