NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday launched a new scheme for installing street lights to help solve decades-old women’s safety issue in the national capital.
Under the ‘Mukhyamantri Street Light’ scheme, the government plans to illuminate ‘dark spots’ in the city by installing street lights on a mass scale with an estimated budget of Rs 100 crore.
Three discoms — BSES Yamuna, BSES Rajdhani and Tata Power Limited — will be responsible for the maintenance and installation of the lights. In the first phase, tender will be launched of about 30 per cent of the planned 2.1 lakh street lights to be installed in the city.
“The Delhi government is committed to ensuring safety of women. We are already implementing the CCTV scheme. Dark spots have to be well lit for strengthening security. This is the biggest step yet to improve women security. Citizens can submit their requests for street lights to their local MLAs following which the permission of the building owners will be taken,” Kejriwal said.
The Delhi government’s scheme bypasses the role of the MCD and provides a solution to the problems people face in dark stretches, he said. The CM said he is hopeful that the people will come out for the streetlight scheme just like “they came out for the CCTV scheme”.
According to the government, street lights will be installed after a survey of an area by a discom. Work will be done after completion of the verification process. The areas to be lit up will be identified before November.
These street lights will have automatic sensors which will enable them to automatically switch on when it is dark and switch off at the first light of the day. They will be connected to a building owner’s household connection and the amount of units used will be not charged in their bills.
However, East Delhi BJP MP Gautam Gambhir took a jibe soon after the Chief Minister announced the scheme. “For the last four and half years you have kept Delhi in darkness, but as now election is approaching you have launched “Mister Chief Minister Jab Jago Tabh Savera Yojna” (Better late than never). But it does not matter how much you try, BJP will win assembly elections in Delhi,” he tweeted in Hindi.