DNA: Mumbai: Tuesday, August 21, 2018.
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.