Dysfunctional streetlights are not the only problem in this locality. The footpaths too are not proper with drain covers missing.
The defunct street lights of Vaibhav Khand in Indirapuram are causing much concern among residents. Speaking to City Spidey, they have said that the street lights have been out of order for the last couple of months. Pedestrians have been navigating the streets with flash-lights and headlights of passing vehicles.
And this is not all. There are no proper footpaths as well. Earlier pedestrians used to walk on covered drains, which also doubled up as footpaths. However, after the GDA undertook a cleaning exercise the drains are minus covers. This along with non functional street lights has forced people to walk on the main roads. “Recently, a senior citizen from our society fell into one of the openings over the drain,” said Mohit Dwivedi, AOA president of Krishna Apra Garden, a society in the area.
Similar views were shared by Malay Majumdar, AOA general secretary of Gaur Green City, another society in the area. “The entire area surrounding Tikona Park and our society becomes pitch dark after sunset. This also affects the safety and security in the area,” Majumdar said.
Majumdar further said that residents of his society have demanded for the installation of extra lights at the entry and exit gates. “We have not installed lights so far as it is not a viable solution. The streetlights have to be repaired as soon as possible,” Majumdar added.
However, the residents association of Krishna Apra Garden has installed lights outside the society to ease the situation. “We recently installed two led bulbs outside the society to help pedestrians,” said Mohit Dwivedi.
City Spidey approached officials of GDA, who are responsible for the maintenance of the street lights, on this issue. AK Singh, executive engineer of GDA said that the contract with the agency which had been maintaining the street lights had expired in December last year. “Since then we have been repairing small patches at a time with the scanty resources at our disposal. Fresh contracts were floated but unfortunately they have failed to draw proper bidders.
Fresh tenders will be opened on October 17. Once the tenders are sanctioned, work shall be initiated for the street lights for entire Indirapuram. Currently, a maintenance agency is working only on the internal roads and not on the main roads,” Singh further said.
