GMC outsourced work to 22 agencies, survey of bylanes underway

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: The GMC (Guwahati Municipal Corporation) has outsourced the work for the repair and replacement of streetlights in the metropolitan city. As many as 22 agencies have got the contract for the repair and renovation of streetlights of five main roads in the city. A target schedule of January 15, 2021 has been set for the lightening work.

Talking to The Sentinel, GMC's in-charge looking after streetlights, Dipankar Kakati said, "We've already started renovation and installation of streetlights in five main roads through outsourcing. The total cost for the work is estimated to be over Rs 10 crore.

"The work includes replacement of damaged or tilted posts on city roads. New LED lights are to be installed to glow the roads. However, the VIP Road is not in this lot of road under renovation as the road has many damaged stretches that are being repaired us is on our own. That's a time-taking job.

"Situation of the bylanes in the city is pathetic. While many of the bylanes have no power connection at all, the bylanes with streetlights are also dark as the lights don't glow. We're surveying the byanes to estimate the cost and to prepare a project."

The main roads in the city has around 5,000 streetlights and over10,000 in the bylanes. There have been constant demands from the city residents for lightening the roads in the city where pretty crimes like snatching of jewelry, burglary etc are rampant. Many electric posts pose a threat to people as they have been tilted badly, some of them forming an angle of 45 degree with the ground. Such bending of electric posts occurred due to accidents and now they are accident-prone.

Meanwhile, the Guwahati Smart City Ltd (GSCL) did take up a streetlight project to brighten the city roads with LED light. However, the Rs 70-crore project taken up in 2018 failed to see the light of the day.

The responsibility of glowing city streets is entirely of the GMC.

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