At a time when majority of the street light installed by Srinagar Municipal Corporation are defunct, the Corporation is mulling to lit up grave yards of Srinagar city.
Srinagar Municipal Corporation recently claimed that it will install lights in different graveyards of Srinagar city but when one ventures out on the roads of city after dark, he finds almost all the street light installed by Corporation on main roads and bridges defunct.
“The Corporation needs to repair the defunct lights first then it should pay attention towards the graveyards. Living beings need lights more than dead,” said Mudasir Ahmed to Kashmir News Trust.
He said people are not against installation of lights in graveyards but at least SMC should also lit up lanes and roads that are used by living beings.
SMC every now and then claims of developing Srinagar city on modern lines and making it as a city of lights but on ground, hundreds of streetlights are lying defunct in Kashmir capital Srinagar.
The defunct streetlights, plus the delay in installation of new lights on roads and by-lanes turns city into darkness during evening.
The streets lights installed by SMC in different parts of city including Residency Road, Abdullah Bridge, Jawahar Nagar, Karan Nagar, Bemina, Mehjoor Nagar Bridge, Dalgate and other areas are defunct.
“We had requested SMC to install some lights outside the mosque but till date no light was installed. Some employees in the Corporation distribute these lights among their relatives and friends and thus those who deserve them never have glimpse of these lights,” said Sajad Ahmed.
A local from Maisuma said that when he requested an SMC official to get these defunct lights repaired, he said it is the job of Power Development Department. It seems there is lack of coordination between SMC and PDD.
The jurisdiction for repair and installation of street lights has been fixed by the Urban Development Department. PDD has been given responsibility to install and maintain lighting system on main roads while as by-lanes and lanes fall under the jurisdiction of SMC.
“However, lack of coordination between these two departments is acting as the main hurdle,” said a senior SMC official. (KNT)