Weeks after terminating the contract awarded to a consortium of private firms for installing nearly five lakh LED streetlights in the city, the BBMP has come up with a fresh proposal — costing Rs 85.5 crore — to illuminate the streets.
Short of funds, the civic body has sought financial assistance from the state government. In its letter to the government, the BBMP cited the need to instal streetlights in the 110 villages that were added to the city limits in 2007. The villages, it said, are seeing rapid development.
In all, the city needs 53,732 new streetlights over a road network of 511 km, the BBMP has estimated.
The BBMP’s RR Nagar Zone requires the most streetlights (11,582) followed by South (9,182), Mahadevapura (8,423), Dasarahalli (7,563), East (2,546), West (3,048) and Yelahanka (4,939).
The BBMP sought the funds days after Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai approved its proposal to terminate the contractor given to a consortium of Shapoorji Pallonji and Company Pvt Ltd, SMC Infrastructures and Samudra Electronic Systems in February 2019.
The consortium, registered as Bangalore Streetlighting Pvt Ltd, did not make any serious attempt to implement the project despite getting multiple warnings, according to the BBMP.
At present, the streetlights are maintained by the BBMP, which has roped in private service providers at the ward level.
The civic body spends about Rs 70 crore a year to maintain the streetlights and pays Bescom another Rs 200 crore as electricity charges. There are, however, widespread complaints that the contractors do not adequately maintain the streetlights.
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