The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Directive to ensure streetlights in city

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Directive to ensure streetlights in city

Special Correspondent

Ombudsman’s directive on a suo motu case

Many lamp posts on the bypass missing
Corporation urged to seek sponsorship

Thiruvananthapuram: Ombudsman for Local Self-Government Institutions M.R.Hariharan Nair on Thursday issued an order directing the corporation to ensure that the streetlights on the Chacka-Eenchakkal stretch of the National Highway bypass and the Chacka-Airport road are made operational.

The order issued on a suo motu case registered by the Ombudsman, also directed the Corporation to seek sponsorship from hotels, apartment owners and IT firms located in the Technopark campus for installing new streetlights on the Kazhakkuttom-Chacka bypass road.

The order notes that many lamp posts on the Chacka-Eenchakkal road were found missing recently. It cites a report in The Hindu on the failure of the authorities to energise the streetlights installed on the Chacka-Airport road.

The Corporation Secretary had filed a statement saying that the KSEB had removed the streetlights on the Chacka- Eenchakkal road after the 15-year-old lamp posts started falling. He said the Corporation would find it difficult to install new streetlights in view of the heavy cost involved.

Citing section 316 of the Municipality Act, 1994, the Ombudsman said it was the bounden duty of the Corporation to keep streetlights operational. “The N.H. Bypass is the artery road in the city and the Chacka-Eenchakkal road is always busy. The stretch is also notorious for crimes and the absence of light is perhaps a factor that encourages such nefarious activities. Most of the lamp posts on the stretch are still functional and if any repair is needed it has necessarily to be done at the cost of the Corporation”.

Referring to the failure to provide power connection to the lamps on the Chacka-Airport road, the order said the money spent on buying and installing the lamps would be wasted. The Corporation Secretary and the Mayor were told to open discussions with the Chairman and Chief Engineer of KSEB and sort out the issue within three months.

The order said that software companies in the Technopark campus could play a participatory role in installing new streetlights on the Chacka-Kazhakuttom stretch.

Direction to panchayat

In another order, the Ombudsman on Thursday directed the Vizhinjam grama panchayat to stop work on the construction of a biogas plant in Kovalam ward 1. Based on a petition filed by K.Sukumaran and A.Suresh Babu, the panchayat was told to maintain status quo on the project.

The petitioners argued that the decision to set up the plant in Kovalam ward 1 was not approved by the panchayat committee. They alleged that the Rs.23.92 lakh project was part of a secret agenda involving the panchayat chairperson, secretary,a few members and a private contractor.

The petitioners also said the project did not have the mandatory clearance from the State Pollution Control Board. They alleged that the panchayat was using the police to crush a protest launched by local people against locating the garbage plant in a thickly-populated area.

The panchayat vice-president and other members said there was no valid decision to establish the plant at Kovalam ward 1.

They said the agreement with the contractors mentioned the site as Kadakulam, while the panchayat had approved Mukkola as the site.

The order directed the secretary to maintain status and produce the minutes book of the panchayat on June 6. The case has been posted for further hearing on June 16.

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