Tiruchi Corporation to take up survey of areas without street lights

In a bid to enhance public safety, the Tiruchi Corporation has taken steps to identify areas without street lights and those with faulty or non-functional ones to undertake necessary rectifications.

In a bid to enhance public safety, the Tiruchi Corporation has taken steps to identify areas without street lights and those with faulty or non-functional ones to undertake necessary rectifications. As many as 6,264 new LED lights at a cost of ₹13.97 crore were sanctioned under the State Urban Infrastructure Development Fund (SUIDF). Of these, about 5,553 street lights will come up on existing electric poles at ₹8.2 crore, and 711 lights will come up on eight-metre tall new galvanised iron poles at ₹5.7 crore. About 5,065 lights have been installed so far and the remaining 1,199 are yet to be installed. The required electricity posts and street lights have been procured.

At present, there are about 44,170 LED street lights, including the high-mast lights, with capacities varying up to 20W, 40W, 72W, 90W, and 120W. While major roads, commercial areas, and traffic junctions have powerful lights, narrow residential streets are installed with low-capacity lights. The Corporation’s Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system is being used to remotely operate and monitor street lights in all 65 wards of the city.

In addition to the new lights, faulty and dimly lit street lights would be replaced and the areas without lights, especially in the added and peripheral areas of the city. Junior engineers in all five zones had been instructed to carry out the study to identify areas without street lights and those that needed to be replaced in their divisions. “Councillors have given a list of streets that need repair in their respective wards. Those areas would be scrutinised, and necessary action will be taken,” said a senior Corporation official.

Considering the safety of the public, the civic body has planned to replace the 20W LED bulbs with high-capacity lights in places prone to theft and crimes.