TINSUKIA: The traffic lights which were installed on some arterial roads with much hype in Tinsukia town in December are presently defunct after functioning for a week. Though the scheme was implemented by the Department of Housing & Urban Affairs at the cost of Rs 1,04,71,356 and was ceremoniously inaugurated by Ashok Singhal, Minister of Housing, no official agreement/SOP/MoU was made in respect of its maintenance which resulted in utter confusion among the various agencies like Municipal Board, PWD, Traffic Department etc in the wake of technical and other faults.
Amid the ambiguities, the chairman of Tinsukia Municipal Board Pabitra Gogoi said, the electrical connection to the traffic signalling points were provided from the street light services as the Housing Department did not install separate meters thus bills had to be incurred by the TMB. In the present state of non-functioning, Gogoi pointed out that it was ‘Timer’ defect which would be rectified soon. Now question arises whose responsibility was it for proper and default-free installation and how long would it take to rectify? Secondly, signalling points were made without any Zebra Crossing leading the entire traffic management into a chaos. Interestingly TMB said it is the responsibility of PWD to mark zebra crossing, PWD said it is of TMB. A source said with astonishment that such a scheme with huge cost was implemented without provision for proper billing system and municipal tax payers have to bear the brunt of additional taxation.
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