Hyderabad: The ongoing tussle between Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) over the maintenance of street lights has left many streets unlit, resulting in over 20,000 grievances each month.
GHMC records show that in the last six months, around 1.2 lakh complaints, including subpar performance, malfunctioning, and poor glare related to street lights, were registered, with the Old City recording the highest number of issues. The problem extends beyond remote areas, affecting prominent locations such as Ministers’ Quarters, Road No.11, MLA Colony on Road No.12, Jubilee Hills, Road No.45, and the street near the former Hyderabad police commissionerate at Basheerbagh.
“In many parts of Banjara Hills, hardly one in 10 street lights is functional. The road leading towards the Banjara Hills police station is unlit. Despite being situated in an upscale area , the issue remains severe. In fact, the KBR Park road and surrounding areas also suffer from inadequate lighting. When confronted with complaints, GHMC officials cite a shortage in street light inventory as their defence,” said V Ridhima, an advocate from Road No.5, Banjara Hills.
Citizens complain that the lack of coordination between GHMC and EESL has resulted in unlit streets, forcing pedestrians to navigate through darkness. “Throughout the city, upkeep of street lights has come to a halt. EESL has failed to maintain illumination in crucial locations, including GHMC headquarters and the chief minister’s residence on Road Number 45, Jubilee Hills. With the agreement nearing completion, GHMC needs to designate new contractors who will ensure proper street lighting,” said D Harish, a resident of Himayatnagar.
EESL states that it is facing challenges in maintaining the installed 5.4 lakh street lights across GHMC due to payment delays to the tune of 104 crore.
“This has impacted the ability to ensure timely payments to vendors, including LED maintenance agencies, CCMS vendors, and suppliers. Consequently, this has led to delays in rectifying grievances. The financial constraints arising from the pending payments have worsened the situation, resulting in an increased number of complaints,” an EESL official said.
GHMC had signed an agreement with EESL on May 29, 2017, to replace all conventional street lights with LEDs at a cost of 271 crore, besides providing free operation and maintenance support for seven years. As per the contract, EESL has to offer free replacement for defective lights. The agency should also maintain a glowing rate of street lights at a minimum of 98%. Furthermore, as per the agreement, EESL was obliged to maintain a buffer stock of 26,000 lights.
“EESL maintenance staff and CCMS technicians are not attending their duties in their zones. Due to this, many complaints have piled up as no maintenance is being carried out. The non-operational status of CCMS has led to unlit areas in various colonies during night hours, while some lights remain unnecessarily illuminated during the day,” a GHMC engineer (electrical wing) said.
