New Delhi
The Delhi government on Monday started installation of LED street lights under a scheme aimed at contributing to women safety in the city that was announced around three months ago, said chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.
The scheme aims to install 210,000 streetlights in Delhi – at least 3,000 in each of Delhi’s 70 constituencies. The LED street lights will have sensors – they will switch on and switch off automatically.
Kejriwal further said, the government will be done installing around 60,000 lights by the end of January and the entire scheme would be executed in four months.
“The street light installation under the scheme is beginning today. We have worked hard in the last two months to fulfil all the procedural requirements for spearheading the installation process… This scheme will help eliminate dark spots and contribute to women safety,” Kejriwal said on Monday at a press conference in the Delhi secretariat.
In the conference, the chief minister cited reports of NGO SafetiPin, which works on women safety and security.
SafetiPin had submitted its first report to the Delhi government in 2016, after carrying out a safety audit and identifying 7,438 dark spots across the city. The government has worked on lighting these dark spots in the last three years, and the number of dark spots which were identified in another audit carried out by SafetiPin over January to May 2019 was 2,768, Kejriwal said.
{{/usCountry}}SafetiPin had submitted its first report to the Delhi government in 2016, after carrying out a safety audit and identifying 7,438 dark spots across the city. The government has worked on lighting these dark spots in the last three years, and the number of dark spots which were identified in another audit carried out by SafetiPin over January to May 2019 was 2,768, Kejriwal said.
{{/usCountry}}“The biggest problem we faced in eliminating them is the lack of consent/approval from MCDs in installing poles and street lights on their streets. This innovative scheme bypasses the role of the MCD and provides a direct solution to people’s problems of dark spots,” he added.
“We encourage the people of Delhi to participate in identifying locations that need better lighting. Women’s safety is our priority and we will install as many street lights and use as many resources as possible to ensure the security of women in the city,” said Kejriwal.
PWD Minister Satyendar Jain said street lights under the scheme will be installed on existing poles in commercial areas and at main roads. They can also be installed in both commercial and residential buildings. In that case, the additional bill amount will be reimbursed by the government.