The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) plans to convert all sodium vapour street lamps to LED lights in the next two years to save about 80% of energy. A dedicated control room will also be set up to monitor the functioning of street lights.
Addressing the Janaspandana programme, a civic grievance redressal event organised by the BBMP, Palike commissioner N Manjunath Prasad said, “Since we are receiving several complaints from the residents about dysfunctional of street lights, the BBMP will convert five lakh sodium vapour street lamps with LED bulbs. The decision will be taken at the upcoming Cabinet meeting.”
The civic body is now paying an electricity bill of Rs 20 crore annually and about Rs 50 crore a year for maintaining street lights. “After installing LED lights, the centralised control room will track the condition of streetlights. If any LED light is fused, the control room personnel will alert the ground staff to repair it immediately,” he added.
Prasad assured citizens that there will be no streetlight complaints when this project is completed in two years.
Hard to get RTI reply
To address grievances of residents of east Bengaluru, BBMP organised Janaspandana.
Garbage crisis, traffic congestion, commercialisation of residential areas, water scarcity were some of the problems the residents highlighted.
Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara, Mayor Gangambike Mallikarjun and officials heard the grievances at Town Hall.
Srinivas, a resident, complained that officials were not providing RTI replies. “I applied for RTI seeking information one-and-a-half years ago. I have not received any reply so far,” he said.
The BBMP commissioner replied, “We will review the complaint and take necessary action if RTI is not replied by officials.”
Another resident complained that officials were not available in the offices to solve their grievances.