123 Kolkata: Streets across Salt Lake are set to be better illuminated with LED lighting. The Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) wants to procure and install LED street lights across all its 41 wards under the Green Cities Mission scheme. The civic body has also increased budgetary allocations for streetlight installation, repair, and maintenance.
BMC mayor Krishna Chakraborty on Friday conceded that there have been some problems regarding streetlights in Salt Lake. "It is true that there are issues regarding street lights in some places. We have discussed the matter with Webel. Proposals are being placed to bring funds under the Green Cities Mission scheme for improved street lights," Chakraborty said.
It was noticed that occasionally some stretches in Salt Lake plunge into darkness after night with the street lights either lying defunct or not properly functioning. While power is supplied by the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL), BMC is responsible for maintaining the lighting system along with the poles.
"Street lights in some places are so dim that practically the light does not reach the ground as the roads remain mostly inadequately lit," said Pranjal Biswas, a resident.
Motorists said that driving, especially riding bikes through inadequately lit stretches, is dangerous as often they could not see potholes or craters coming on their way. "There are potholes or craters on the roads and dysfunctional streetlights add to the problem as motorists solely have to depend on headlights," said a biker.
The state govt has been sanctioning funds to BMC in phases for the civic body to migrate from conventional street lights to LED for its entire 41 wards as the civic authorities have also been installing LED lights on a number of stretches. Last year, the state govt sanctioned close to Rs 4 crore to BMC for installing around 4,500 LED street lights of different watts in several places of Salt Lake and Rajarhat Gopalpur under the Green Cities Mission scheme.
BMC officials said that as for routine maintenance, there are standing instructions to agencies responsible to regularly carry out checks to see whether street lights are in proper condition or not. The civic body in its budget estimates for the upcoming financial year of 2025-26 has allocated Rs 18.5 crore for street lights and related issues.