E-Paper
Maximum plaints in Mohali pertain to non-functional streetlights
At 370, the second highest number of plaints are related to sanitation works
Of the 2,134 complaints received on Mohali municipal corporation’s toll free number in the last 10 months, 53% pertain to non-functional streetlights, the maintenance work of which has been outsourced to a private firm.
The sanitation works, which have been outsourced to Delhi-based firm Lion Company, also received as many as 370 complaints. For sewerage related issues, there were 249 plaints while for horticulture, there were 262 complaints.
WORST AFFECTED SECTORS
The maximum number of complaints on the number (18001370007) came in from Sectors 66 to 82.
Two years ago, the MC has alloted the work of streetlight maintenance to e-Smart Company, which replaced 21,800 ordinary streetlights with light emitting diodes (LEDs).
CL Garg, president of Confederation of Greater Mohali Residents’ Welfare Associations, the apex body of 65 RWAs, said, “Several parts of the town are in the dark due to non-functional streetlights. The worst affected are the new sectors, specially Sector 66 to 82.”
Interestingly, as per the agreement, the private company had promised 98% efficiency in the system, which means that the company is responsible to make 98% streetlights functional any given day. If not, it has to pay penalty of ₹25 per lamp (if repair of the non-functional lamp cannot take place within 48 hours) to the local MC.
MC superintending engineer Ashwani Chaudhary said, “The company is sorting out the complaints on daily basis and out of total 1,141 complaints, they have resolved around 800 complaints. I will hold a meeting with the company concerned and direct them to expedite the complaints.”
The MC is paying the company around ₹3.45 crore for maintenance of streetlights every year.
City mayor Kulwant Singh said, “Though the sanitation problem in Mohali has drastically improved as we are resolving these on regular basis but the number of complaints is higher as it includes the stray dog complaints too.”
