Aurangabad, Oct 16:
The Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has claimed that its decision of outsourcing the responsibility of maintaining streetlights and replacing old one's with LED lights, is turning out to be a wise decision. The Delhi-based Elektron Energy Efficiency Services claimed of having installed 57,000 LED streetlights in the past five years. It is also claimed that the monthly electricity bills of streetlights reduced from Rs 2 crore to Rs 75 lakh-80 lakh.
Five years ago, the AMC awarded the contract for Rs 110 crore. The responsibility fixed upon the contractor was to replace existing streetlights with LED and undertake maintenance work for a period of 10 years. The contractor has appointed 10 squads in the city to attend to the complaints. As a result, 99 per cent of the streetlights remain functioning during the festivals.
Earlier, the AMC was maintaining the streetlights in the city till 2005. Later on, the section started witnessing shortages due to the retirement of staff in the electrical section. The existing staff was burdened as no recruitment was made in the AMC. Hence to maintain the streetlights, the AMC roped in the services of 15 private contractors. However, it came to notice that they were cheating the civic body by utilising china made electrical components or equipment. This was practised to collect hefty bills from the AMC exchequer. The administration was also restless as these contractors were having political support. Many streetlights on main roads would remain defunct. Every time during the Diwali and other festivals the people use to demand repairing the defunct streetlights.
Nine offices in nine zones
The company has established its office in each zone and also has spared one squad to attend to the complaints. The squad works in two shifts. The defunct streetlight is repaired on the same day and if there is any technical issue then only it is repaired in two days.
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Complaints will be attended on a priority
The newspaper contacted the AMC executive engineer (electrical section) A B Deshmukh. Replying to the queries raised by the scribe, Deshmukh said that 5-10 complaints about defunct streetlights are recorded daily. The complaints are attended on a priority basis through the contractor. The private partner is functioning in the city for the past five years. The citizens should contact the AMC's electrical section or private company's office in the zone to register their complaints. The company had set up one office each in nine zones of the AMC.