South Delhi ‘most dark’ on Diwali
23 Nov 2012 5:19 AM IST
The posh south Delhi was the darkest on Diwali with around 60 per cent non-functional lights in various parks, despite the direction of South Delhi Municipal Corporation mayor to maintain the lights before Diwali.
‘It is shameful that dispute our efforts, we could not maintain the high-masts and fancy lights installed in our parks.’ said Subhash Arya, Leader of House in SDMC, directing the commissioner to inquire into the matter and fix responsibility to the officers concerned. He demanded an action taken report in the next meeting of the house. The commissioner, Manish Gupta, accepted that 25 per cent of the lights installed in 1,604 parks of SDMC were not functional. ‘South Delhi zone of SDMC was the darkest on Diwali as 421 of the 714 lights were not functional,’ stated the commissioner in a written reply. The corporation has installed tube lights, high masts and fancy lights in its parks but most of them are defunct and non-functional.
‘The actual situation is worse. Why the corporation is wasting money on lights that never function? If department could not illuminate its parks on Diwali then what more can we expect from them?’ said Farhad Suri, Leader of Opposition in the house, demanding strict action against officers responsible for this. As per the records of the SDMC, it has installed lights in 1,604 parks of which 572 fall in south Delhi area.
The corporation had allocated Rs 2.05 crore for maintenance of these lights. ‘Whenever we ask for maintenance, the department demands fund from our ‘councillor fund’. They never use the fund allocated for maintenance. I just released Rs 10 lakh for maintenance of lights in our area,’ said Virender Kasana, congress councillor and chairman of wards committee in Central zone. ‘The corporation expends Rs 79 per pole per month for maintenance of street lights and have a budget of Rs 79.8 crore for maintenance and energy consumption charges but hardly 60 of the lights are functional,’ added Kasana. West Delhi, by the way, was the most illuminated on Diwali as only 242 of 1,852 lights were non-functional.
‘It is shameful that dispute our efforts, we could not maintain the high-masts and fancy lights installed in our parks.’ said Subhash Arya, Leader of House in SDMC, directing the commissioner to inquire into the matter and fix responsibility to the officers concerned. He demanded an action taken report in the next meeting of the house. The commissioner, Manish Gupta, accepted that 25 per cent of the lights installed in 1,604 parks of SDMC were not functional. ‘South Delhi zone of SDMC was the darkest on Diwali as 421 of the 714 lights were not functional,’ stated the commissioner in a written reply. The corporation has installed tube lights, high masts and fancy lights in its parks but most of them are defunct and non-functional.
‘The actual situation is worse. Why the corporation is wasting money on lights that never function? If department could not illuminate its parks on Diwali then what more can we expect from them?’ said Farhad Suri, Leader of Opposition in the house, demanding strict action against officers responsible for this. As per the records of the SDMC, it has installed lights in 1,604 parks of which 572 fall in south Delhi area.
The corporation had allocated Rs 2.05 crore for maintenance of these lights. ‘Whenever we ask for maintenance, the department demands fund from our ‘councillor fund’. They never use the fund allocated for maintenance. I just released Rs 10 lakh for maintenance of lights in our area,’ said Virender Kasana, congress councillor and chairman of wards committee in Central zone. ‘The corporation expends Rs 79 per pole per month for maintenance of street lights and have a budget of Rs 79.8 crore for maintenance and energy consumption charges but hardly 60 of the lights are functional,’ added Kasana. West Delhi, by the way, was the most illuminated on Diwali as only 242 of 1,852 lights were non-functional.
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