The PIL was filed by advocate Sunny Punamiya, who claimed that an inquiry should be initiated to look into the reason why no tender was issued for the installation of LED lights.
The Bombay High Court on Friday dismissed of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) calling for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to float tenders to procure LED lights to be installed at Marine Drive, popularly known as the Queens Necklace, and other parts of the city.
The PIL was disposed after an affidavit was filed by the corporation through its counsel, Anil Sakhare. Sakhare claimed that initially, the installation of LED lights along the Queen's Necklace was as a pilot project, but once it was approved by the Municipal Commissioner, Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) had decided to float tenders to procure the lights. The PIL was therefore not maintainable, Sakhare contended.
The PIL was filed by advocate Sunny Punamiya, who claimed that an inquiry should be initiated to look into the reason why no tender was issued for the installation of LED lights. It called the process of changing the streetlights "arbitrary, corrupt and haphazard". It further said the BMC had failed to follow established government rules of issuing tenders before carrying out the change.
The PIL claimed, "There has been arbitrary, corrupt and haphazard work by the BMC that resulted in several dark patches on Marine Drive as well as destruction of visual and aesthetic beauty of Queen's Necklace."
However, Sakhare, argued before the court that as per a High Court order passed earlier, the authorities had changed the originally installed white LED lights to yellow colored ones, thereby maintaining the look of the Queen's Necklace. However, the old sodium vapor lights have been replaced.
The BMC's affidavit also stated that "Since installation of LED lights on Marine drive was on a pilot project as per directions of the Central government, no direction was given regarding the colour of LED lights to be installed, but now on, the entire process will be through tender process."
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