In a bid to reduce the mounting electricity bills the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has adopted an anti-public way of saving money by turning the capital’s street lights off every evening. Moreover, city managers delayed a project of introducing Light-Emitting Diodes (LED).
The civic body introduced the solar street lights project three years ago, but could not meet the task due to a shortage of funds. The CDA also held talks with various companies for the execution of the project, however, various factors, including the city planners’ inaction, put the project on hold.
Sources in the CDA told Pakistan Today that after facing many problems due to the non-payment of electricity bills worth millions of rupees, the city administration was thinking of switching over to LED lights. The official said the estimated cost of the project was Rs five billion to Rs six billion and the summary for its approval had already been submitted to the Central Development Working Party (CDWP).
“Due to the row between the two authorities, IESCO is sending extra bills to the CDA and the authority is now paying bills of more than a 100 million per month. By introducing these energy efficient lights, the authority will be able to save huge amounts of money which could then be spent on other development projects,” the official added.
After sunset, the capital turns dark as city managers close down street lights to save energy.
Residents said the street lights being turned off caused them great inconvenience. “We cannot go for a walk in night because the roads and parks are completely dark after 7pm,” said Ali Zaidi, a resident of G/9. “The under-construction roads, including the Kashmir Highway, are very dangerous as visibility with the street lights off is very low, while the dug-up roads and improper precautionary measures cause many fatal accidents,” he added.
CDA Spokesman Ramzan Sajid told Pakistan Today that the fate of the LED project rested with the planning commission. He added that under the said project, the authority could cut back on more than 50 percent of their electricity bills. “We are spending more than Rs 100 million on electricity bills which is a great burden on the CDA,” the CDA official said. He added that the civic body was also looking for funds from different firms. “Many private firms and banks showed interest in the project,” he said, adding that they were aware of the problems created by dysfunctional street lights and claimed they would overcome the problem soon.