PMC engineers blame it on malfunctioning timers, point to shortage of trained staff
PMC engineers blame it on malfunctioning timers, point to shortage of trained staff
Ever seen streetlights in your area burning during the day and remaining switched off at night? Acknowledging this happens, engineers of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) have attributed the phenomenon to a timer problem.
No guiding light: Owing to the malfunctioning of computerised timers,
lights are operating the wrong way round and remain switched on during
the day in certain areas. REpresentation pic
They say the computerised timers, which are programmed to operate the lights at appropriate hours, are malfunctioning and causing the lights to operate the wrong way round. Officials have also pointed to a shortage of battiwalasu00a0-- the men who move about on bicycles and repair bulbsu00a0-- that has aggravated the problem.
Areas like Sinhagad Road and Karve Nagar have been witnessing this problem, with the malfunctioning being more acute in the former.
Fear of accidents
Harshawardhan Gaonkar, a resident of Sinhagad Road, said most of the times the 'high mast' streetlights on the road remain off during the night. "Whenever I ride home late from work, the lights have been switched off, which makes it a dangerous situation as there is a possibility of accidents," he said. "There have been minor accidents here, but the PMC should wake up to the fact that major mishaps can also occur."
An electrical engineer with the PMC said maintaining the timers was a costly affair. "They are programmed to start the lights at dusk and some of the advanced streetlights also start with a very dim light and become intense as the darkness increases. But during routine maintenance, mechanics accidentally damage some device, mostly because they have not worked on the high-end lights," said the engineer, requesting anonymity.
u00a0
"We are training them on the new lights and such problems will soon be minimised." The official also said that as the battiwalas are now in short supply, dedicated streetlight repair teams were being recruited. "After the recent decentralisation and portfolio reshuffling in the PMC, sectors have been properly divided between the head office and the ward offices, which is causing certain teething problems," said another official, also requesting anonymity.
Ward Officer from Karve Nagar Yunus Pathan said damaged streetlights were promptly repaired whenever people make a complaint. "We already have a patrol team which moves about on the streets during the nighttime to check on non-functioning streetlights," he said.
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