Visakhapatnam: Amid growing complaints about unlit street lights, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) has decided to replace 52,000 20-watt street lights across the city. This is in response to an unusually high number of faults in the city’s street lighting system, largely due to several LED lights which are over a decade old now.
The situation was further deteriorated by the city’s infrastructure, coastal climate and corrosive environmental conditions that accelerated the wear and tear of the street light system. Efforts to repair the issues proved more resource-intensive than anticipated. The demand for spare parts is running at 3%, which is double the industry standard of 1.5%. Other significant contributors to the problem were damage to underground cables and issues with three-phase connectivity. GVMC commissioner Dr P Sampath Kumar told TOI that out of the city’s 1.18 lakh street lights, nearly 72,000 were of 20-watt.
“We identified 52,000 lights for replacement. We will also address the issues with the underground cabling. These initiatives will cost around 20 crore. Improved illumination is expected within the next two months. As per the agreement, the service provider must ensure at least 95% of the lights are functioning. But even a 5% shortfall, which is about 6,000 lights, could affect 25,000 families. Once the replacements are complete, we aim to increase the operational lights to 96-97%,” he explained.
“The GVMC also pinpointed 149 dark spots across the city, areas prone to street light vandalism by miscreants. We are addressing several legacy issues with the street light system,” the commissioner added.
The situation was further deteriorated by the city’s infrastructure, coastal climate and corrosive environmental conditions that accelerated the wear and tear of the street light system. Efforts to repair the issues proved more resource-intensive than anticipated. The demand for spare parts is running at 3%, which is double the industry standard of 1.5%. Other significant contributors to the problem were damage to underground cables and issues with three-phase connectivity. GVMC commissioner Dr P Sampath Kumar told TOI that out of the city’s 1.18 lakh street lights, nearly 72,000 were of 20-watt.
“We identified 52,000 lights for replacement. We will also address the issues with the underground cabling. These initiatives will cost around 20 crore. Improved illumination is expected within the next two months. As per the agreement, the service provider must ensure at least 95% of the lights are functioning. But even a 5% shortfall, which is about 6,000 lights, could affect 25,000 families. Once the replacements are complete, we aim to increase the operational lights to 96-97%,” he explained.
“The GVMC also pinpointed 149 dark spots across the city, areas prone to street light vandalism by miscreants. We are addressing several legacy issues with the street light system,” the commissioner added.
