Chandigarh, October 10
At a time when residents of other cities grapple with non-functional streetlights at night, these can be found functional in most parts of Chandigarh during daytime!
Streetlights were found working around 4.50 pm in Sector 38 (West) today. Local residents said it was a regular fixture and that they had been noticing this the past three-four days.
Similar incidents have been reported from Sectors 23, 16, 19 and some other parts of the city. “I’ve seen streetlights functional for days on end. This is causing loss to the UT exchequer and needs to be checked, especially at a time when the authorities propagate shunning of power wastage,” said Mamta, a resident of Sector 38 (West).
“Due to lack of awareness, people have no idea where to lodge a complaint in such cases. There is no dedicated number for streetlight complaints. The administration should encourage people to raise complaints in such cases,” said another resident.
Dr Anish Garg, spokesperson for Chandigarh Residents’ Associations Welfare Federation (CRAWFED), said: “Streetlights are often found functional at odd hours. When we raise a complaint, officials say they are testing the lines.”
MC Commissioner Anindita Mitra said: “A technical system is in place. Our team constantly checks for such aberrations. Sometimes, sensors are covered with dust, which leads to blocking of daylight, causing lights to remain switched on.”
Energy Efficient Services Limited (EESL), agency responsible for implementation of domestic efficient lighting programme or the UJALA scheme, had replaced ordinary lights with LED ones.
The MC had released EESL’s helpline ‘18001803580’ for complaints regarding non-functional LED streetlights. It was claimed the complaints would be resolved in 24 hours.
Helpline for complaints Residents can reach ‘18001803580’ for plaints regarding non-functional LED streetlights. Complaints will be resolved in 24 hours, says MC
