City groping in dark due to damage of streetlight cables at 40 spots

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The erection of unipole structures (for advertising) in the middle of dividers, is underway, on main and important roads in the city. However, it has come to notice that during the ongoing erection works, the cables of streetlights have got damaged at 40 spots.

The private agency maintaining the streetlights of the city has written 10 letters to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation’s (CSMC) electrical section, but was in vain.

The Aurangabad Smart City Development Corporation Limited (ASCDCL) administration had built 120 bus stops with the help of a private company - Pro Active. As per the terms and conditions, the company will recover its investment by earning revenue against display of advertisements on these bus stops. Ironically, the company is presently erecting these unipole structures (of steel frame) in different parts of the city.

On February 1, there was a complaint of gas leakage due to digging of a pit for unipole. Later on, the municipal commissioner G Sreekanth ordered to stop the works, but uncaring towards the order, the company completed erection of unipoles at the spots where it had constructed the concrete foundations, in one night.

On Wednesday, the Daily Lokmat published a news article highlighting how the darkness is spreading in front of the High Court and the official residences of the judges, on Jalna Road, due to a unipole structure. Later on, it was revealed that the cable connections of streetlights have got disconnected at 40 spots during the erection of unipole structures by ASCDCL’s private company.

Meanwhile, the CSMC’s private company which is looking after repair and maintenance of the streetlights has written letters to the CSMC’s electrical section, but the latter has not taken any cognizance of it. Major parts of the city are in darkness due to non-functioning of streetlights. Lakhs of rupees are being spent on joining these cables. Besides, these unipole structures are erected in front of streetlights, as a result, black spots have been formed on the rear portions of these unipole structures. Hence a fear of causing accidents has emerged amongst the citizens.

Meanwhile, the efforts to contact the ASCDCL’s head of Smart City (Bus Division) Sanjay Supekar, proved futile as he was not available to comment on the issue.

Box

A series of unanswered questions

- Does there is mention of erecting unipole structures in the tender of Smart Bus Stops?

- Why are unipole structures erected after six years?

- Why are the facilities at the bus stops not provided?

- Why permission from the estate section of CSMC has not been taken for unipoles?

- Why were the traffic police, CSMC electrical section not informed about the work?

- Who selected the spots for erecting unipoles?

CSMC proposes action

The CSMC executive engineer (electrical section), Farooq Khan said, “ Elektron Company has given a letter to the section regarding damage of the streetlight cables. The proposal to take action against the private company of Smart City administration is being made. The decision upon it will be taken on the higher level.”