‘Faulty traffic lights to be fixed soon after receiving complaint’

To address the issue of burgeoning traffic congestion, the Noida authority on Tuesday said it will spruce up all traffic signals. It has also directed engineers to ensure that all defunct signals are repaired within an hour of receiving a complaint.

To address the issue of burgeoning traffic congestion, the Noida authority on Tuesday said it will spruce up all traffic signals. It has also directed engineers to ensure that all defunct signals are repaired within an hour of receiving a complaint.

The authority move comes after reports that almost all traffic signals in the city stop functioning when it rains.

As a result, traffic on all intersections comes to standstill for a long time, hassling motorists and commuters.

The authority said it will given enough time for repair if a glitch is major. But for minor snags, we cannot allow more time and let commuters suffer, an official said.

“In the past, we have received complaints of severe traffic congestion at major intersections because the traffic lights stopped functioning owing to glitches. And despite repeated complaints, no action was taken on the issue. But this will not be allowed to happen in future as a new system is being developed,” a Noida authority official said.

The authority said it will also take action against those private companies, which have a responsibility of running these signals.

These companies manage the lights and put advertisements on crossings to recover the cost.

“I have directed officials to remove their advertisements if they fail to run the lights efficiently. The traffic signals were built by private agencies on a build-operate and-transfer (BOT) basis. But if they do not function properly, we will take strict action,” said Manoj Kumar Rai officer on special duty (OSD), Noida authority.

According to rules, a signal will be transferred to government after five years. But for five years, the private agency will earn revenue by putting up advertisements.

The authority said commuters can lodge complaints about defunct signals at these numbers — 9582793717, 100, 0120-2479001.

The authority will transfer the complaint to field officer of private companies to address the complaint.

Apart from the rain, signals also fail to function because of theft. “In many cases, electricity wires, inverter batteries and other equipment are stolen,” another authority official said.