MADURAI: Faulty streetlights and poorly-lit areas -- often leading to road accidents -- across the 100 wards of the city corporation have become persistent problems for the residents, with 273 such complaints on the civic body's online portal yet to be addressed at present.
Assuring that the issue is being closely monitored, corporation commissioner Chitra Vijayan said out of the over 61,000 streetlights in the city, on average, 2% (approximately 1,200) are being replaced every month.
Issues related to streetlights are some of the frequently brought up during council meetings, and during the recent one, Zone V chairperson V Suvitha urged the corporation to upgrade the lights to high-voltage ones, citing poorly-lit areas in the zone, including Muthupatti.
Several councillors urged the corporation to ensure adequate stocks are kept ready at all zones to immediately address streetlight issues. Similarly, residents alleged that smaller streets, unlike key junctions, are poorly lit, often causing mishaps.
Chitra said, "The corporation recently floated seven tenders to install streetlights and high-intensity lights at multiple locations (Zone 1,2,3, and 5) in the city at a total cost of Rs 25 lakh," assuring immediate action on the issue. The city corporation carries out maintenance for all the streetlights across the wards through a private company.