Street lights are meant to keep roads lit at night so people can travel without fear, and that is exactly why the government installs them in every Nagar Panchayat. But in the Walidpur Nagar Panchayat of Mau district, that system has completely broken down. Around 80 street lights, set up here at a cost of roughly Rs 90 lakh, have been out of order for months. The result is that the very roads on which lakhs of rupees were spent now plunge into pitch darkness the moment night falls.
Lakhs Spent, Yet the Roads Stay Dark
Speaking to TrendKia, nominated councillor Vinod Sonkar said that nearly 80 street lights had been installed at a cost of about Rs 90 lakh, and they have been broken for several months. The situation is such that the poles stand visible all over the area, but they carry no lights at all. Ordinary pedestrians are facing serious trouble because of this. According to him, most of the lights across the Nagar Panchayat are either damaged or have vanished from the poles. Complaints over this were made everywhere from the Nagar Panchayat office up to the senior officials, but to this day no one has acted on them.
Snatchings Once Plagued the Road, Now Fear Returns
Vinod Sonkar recalls that this road used to see frequent snatching incidents, and people would either step out nervously or travel only in company. When the street lights were installed, hopes rose that the problem would end and movement would become easy. He says that for several years, whenever a light failed it was repaired at once, but ever since Savitri Devi became the Nagar Panchayat president, the lights kept failing and disappearing from the poles one by one. They have still not been fixed. The poles remain but the light is gone, leaving the roads shrouded in darkness with a constant risk of accidents. Sonkar has warned that if the lights are not repaired soon, a major agitation will be launched.
RTI Raises the Question of 200 Lights
According to councillor Ansarul Haq, during the tenure three years ago the lights were regularly maintained and inspected, and every installed light glowed properly. But since Savitri Gupta's term as president began, not a single light has lit up. He says a tender was floated to install new lights, and the lights did arrive, but they were never put up. When information was sought through an RTI, he was told that around 200 lights had already been procured, yet no details were given about where they had actually been installed. As a result, residents across the entire Nagar Panchayat are forced to move about in darkness and fear.
Official Promises Lighting Will Be Restored Soon
Vaibhav Singh, the Executive Officer of Walidpur Nagar Panchayat, said he had taken charge here only recently. He stated that if the lights on the roads are not working and lights are missing from the poles, the matter will be investigated and lights will be installed immediately. Lights that are damaged will be repaired, and for those that cannot be fixed, a fresh tender will be floated to install all the lights. He assured that arrangements to light up the roads would be made at the earliest.
