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Rickety streetlight poles put Ludhiana residents at risk
Multiple incidents of the streetlight poles falling due to torrential rains and thunderstorms have been reported
With the civic body facing a fund crunch to replace or repair the dilapidated streetlight poles in the city, the run-down condition of the poles poses a constant threat to residents.
Multiple incidents of the poles falling due to torrential rains and thunderstorms have been reported.
Although municipal corporation has installed 1.05 lakh smart street lights under the Smart City Mission, they remain in a miserable state. They were set up at the cost of around ₹57.78 crore.
With no repair and maintenance, cracks can be seen in cemented foundations of the poles, making them vulnerable to torrential winds and thunderstorms.
The poles in various areas, including southern bypass, Shingar cinema road, Fountain Chowk, mall road and Rani Jhansi Road, are either tilted or are without light-bulbs.
In May, a pole on Shingar cinema road was uprooted during rain. A former councillor of the area submitted a demand letter to MC commissioner to repair these poles ahead of the rainy season to avoid any mishaps.
As the poles in several areas lie in a dilapidated state, the light-bulbs have either been installed on electricity poles or other makeshift arrangements have been made. Residents accuse authorities for keeping a callous attitude the issue.
Jaspal Singh, a resident of Guru Arjun Dev Nagar, said, “As many as five poles from the road outside my residence have gone missing. it is very irresponsible on part of the authorities.”
He added a proper survey must be done to identify the poles that need repair to replacement and appropriate steps should be taken at the earliest.
Executive engineer (streetlights) Manjitinder Singh Johal said, “Survey to identify poles that need repair has been started and works will be started soon. He added that as many as 9,000 new streetlights are being installed by the civic body.”
An MC official said that plan to install new poles was dropped earlier owing to the poor financial condition of the civic body.
