These light thieves have tall ambitions

Everything seems to be a soft target for thieves in this city-even the mast lights installed in various parks across its landscape, reports Neelam Pandey.

Everything seems to be a soft target for thieves in this city-even the mast lights installed in various parks across its landscape.

HT Image

Concerned over the number of complaints regarding high and semi-high mast lights being stolen from its parks, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has decided to install barbed wires around the poles to prevent thieves from climbing.

“We have thousands of parks in the city and manning each and every semi mast light installed here a Herculean task. As a preventive measure we have decided to install barbed wires around the poles so that thieves are not be able to scale these and steal the lights. The installation work will start soon,” said Vijendra Gupta, chairman of the MCD’s standing committee.

More than 6,000 semi mast poles are installed in various zones. Councillors have been raising the issue of light theft for quite some time.

“We have received complaints from areas such as Pitampura, Kapil Vihar and the entire Rohini zone. The problem is that gardeners and the company that installs these lights are not ready to look after them. Naturally, they are being stolen,” said BJP councillor Meera Aggarwal.

The civic body had earlier approached BSES Delhi, a branch of the Reliance-owned power corporation, for maintaining the lights installed in the park but they had refused. Now, the agency has called for a tender to appoint a company, which will maintain the lights for a period of three years.