BMC exhibits poor planning and lack of foresight. It first installed four high mast lamps costing four lakh each between 2012 to 2016, and now has been began pulling them down one by one this year citing that these come in the way of Metro alignment.
A Dahisar-based activist has brought the situation to the fore.
Harish Pandey, Secretary of New Link Road Residents Forum, who obtained information under Right To Information (RTI) Act, said, this is gross negligence on BMC's part. Why did it install these lights without checking if there were any future projects coming up. This oversight has led to a loss of taxpayers money, as much as Rs 16 lakh. Even the last one standing of the four high mast lights, will eventually be removed since all of them are in the way of Metro alignment.
"BMC had installed four high mast lamps two at Dahisar (West) link road - D-Mart junction (2012-13) and Mc Donalds junction (2015-16) while two at Dahisar (East) link road- near a Shiv Mandir (2015-16) and Gurudwara at Anand Nagar (2012-13). We cannot believe that the civic body was not aware that the Metro alignment would be along the Link road till 2015-16, which clearly indicates that projects are taken up without considering future planning," alleged Pandey stating that he has taken up the issue since January this year and has been following it up.
As per the RTI information BMC has used Municipal funds for setting up the high mast lights and the cost has been cited as approximately as Rs 4 lakh each. The civic body agreed that only one high mast light was functional at the moment and three were dismantled as they were falling in the alignment of the proposed elevated Metro line 2A on link road.
Meanwhile Pandey said that as part of the citizens forum they were now exploring locations that might need such high mast lights that have been dismantled could be fixed at these locations. "We have no clue as to what has happened to the lights removed and we would not want it to go to junk and instead it should be used at some other place. As citizens we would want that the civic body makes these capital expenditures ensuring that they are used in projects that lasts minimum for 10 years.
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 "High mast light")
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