The Hindu 22.10.2013
Street lights: Mayor meets KSEB chief
Proposal for board to take up maintenance tabled
The issue of maintenance of street lights in the city
seems to be heading for a solution with the city Corporation authorities
putting forward a proposal to the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB)
to carry out the maintenance work with the civic body depositing the
payments in advance.
The proposal was presented at a
meeting that the Mayor and other Corporation officials had with KSEB
Chairman M. Sivasankar here on Monday. V.S. Padmakumar, chairperson of
the Works standing committee of the Corporation, said the board Chairman
had responded positively.
“The Thiruvananthapuram
Corporation has the most number of street lights. So, only a body like
the KSEB with its vast infrastructure can carry out the maintenance
properly. The Chairman told us that a decision will be taken within two
days. We will deposit the funds as and when required,” Mr. Padmakumar
said.
Decision today
Mr. Sivasankar said a decision on the Corporation’s proposal would be taken at a board meeting on Tuesday.
“The
proposal is to carry out the maintenance work in the manner being done
in the Kozhikode Corporation. The board members will discuss it and take
an appropriate decision. The Corporation authorities have promised to
send an official letter with the proposals at the earliest,” Mr.
Sivasankar said.
In the Corporation council meeting
held on Saturday, the issue of street lights had caused a huge uproar,
with the Opposition disrupting the meeting right at the start. The
Leader of the Opposition had said that the council could not continue
until the issue of street lights was resolved.
Amid
the protests, Mr. Padmakumar had moved an adjournment motion in which
the proposal to deposit the amount required for the maintenance work
with the KSEB and execute the work using contract employees with the
board overseeing the work was put forward. The motion was passed with
the ruling party councillors giving assent to it. The city has
approximately 65,000 fluorescent tubes, 15,000 sodium vapour lamps, and
more than 50 high-mast lights.
