Invitation to crime: City has 650 unlit stretches

A fortnight after commissioner of Delhi Police, BK Gupta advised that women should be accompanied by male relatives if they venture out at odd hours, Delhi Police has come out with a list of 650 no-go lanes.

A fortnight after commissioner of Delhi Police, BK Gupta advised that women should be accompanied by male relatives if they venture out at odd hours, Delhi Police has come out with a list of 650 no-go lanes.

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"We have identified these dark spots where streetlights do not function. A list of such roads has been given to agencies concerned for necessary action," said Ranjit Narayan, special commissioner of police (crime).

Poorly lit stretches embolden criminals, as it is difficult to identify them or note down vehicle numbers in the dark. That apart, many times people fall into open drains and vehicles meet with accidents due to potholes.

The Delhi police, which conducted a two-month survey of all the roads in the city, said while some streetlights were out of order, there were others where lamps were missing. The deputy commissioner of police called a meeting on June 20 to discuss the issue.

The police sent a list to all the concerned civic agencies such as the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, New Delhi Municipal Council and Public Works department.

Things, however, are yet to improve as the agencies are busy passing the buck. Civic agencies spent crores on the maintenance of these streetlights, but the list belies their claims.

The MCD, which has the highest number of dysfunctional streetlights under its jurisdiction, claims power distribution companies are supposed to conduct routine checks and ensure the streetlights work.

"It was decided in the meeting that distribution companies BSES Rajdhani Power Limited, BSES Yamuna Power Limited and North Delhi Power Limited will inspect all areas and fix the street lights. In case of inadequate lighting, the distribution companies will inform the land owning agency, which will provide new streetlights," said Deep Mathur, director, press and information, MCD.

MCD officials said the distribution companies are yet to get back to them. They added that they have begun taking action regarding dysfunctional streelights. A spokesperson of the BSES said: "Whenever we get any complaints related to streetlights we address them and a compliance report is sent to the police."