Soon, 9,310 dark spots in city to illuminate

Work of installing LED lights to begin in month, contractor given 3-month deadline

Sandeep Rana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 25

About 9,310 dark spots in the city are set to illuminate as the work of installing LED lights has finally been allotted.

According to information, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), which failed to find any takers for the job for a long time despite floating tenders several times, could finally allot the work. The job will start in a month and has a three-month deadline.

Earlier, Sawhney Electricals was given the work of wiring and installing 3,000 electricity poles. This work had also got delayed, but most of it is now said to be completed.

Residents have been complaining that many months ago, the Municipal Corporation (MC) had got power poles erected, but there were no bulbs. The MC, through the EESL, failed to find any suitable firm for the job all this while.

Krishan Pal Singh, Superintending Engineer, Electricity and Horticulture, said the EESL has now allotted the job and the work would start in a month. He added that of the total 9,310 spots, about 3,500 were never illuminated. Poles and wiring were in place and only LEDs need to be put up there now.

Congress councillor Devinder Singh Babla, Leader of Opposition in the MC House, said, “Why cannot the MC itself float a single tender for the whole job the way it is done for other works? Why do they have to depend on the EESL to further float a tender? I know the firm is from the Central government, but it has adversely affected the system.”

3,000 dark spots in parks

Of the total 9,310 dark spots, 6,310 are on internal roads and the remaining 3,000 in neighbourhood parks. Besides, 25 big parks and 74 green belts are to be covered under the dark spot illumination project. Conventional mast lights will also be replaced with LEDs.

Delayed project

Officials said the MC and the EESL had signed a contract in February last year for illuminating dark spots, while the survey to identify the spots was done way back in 2017.