Date:10/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/10/stories/2008111054040400.htm

Karnataka

Streetlights: lax officials to face the music

Special Correspondent

Lights should be switched off at daybreak: Chief Minister

Circulars to be sent to municipalities and city corporations
‘Steps being taken to overcome power shortage’

B.S. Yeddyurappa

MASTI (Kolar district): The severe power shortage has now made the Government to look at the inefficiency in managing supply to streetlights. The officials of municipalities and corporations will now face action if lights are not switched off after daybreak.

Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa on Sunday declared that he would soon issue a circular to municipalities and city corporations in this regard.

Inaugurating the Niranthara Jyothi project, which is aimed at providing 24-hour power supply to villages, the Chief Minister said it had become common of late to see the streetlights burning for several hours after daybreak.

“There have instances wherein I have called up top officials of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike to inform them that streetlights had not been switched off.”

But such lack of awareness about the need to switch off streetlights is more in taluks, Mr. Yeddyurappa observed.

Therefore, the Government would send circulars to the municipal bodies asking them to take strict steps to ensure that the power to streetlights was not wasted.

Meanwhile, sources in the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited told The Hindu that the power consumption by streetlights accounted for about 2 per cent of the State’s total consumption. The streetlights were managed by the local bodies while the ESCOMs only supply power to them. The Chief Minister criticised the Centre for not providing adequate power supply from the Central generating stations to Karnataka. “While Andhra Pradesh is getting 3,000 MW, Karnataka is getting only 1,543 MW,” he alleged.

Later addressing a press conference, the Chief Minister said the Government would take measures to ensure that all the poor people got the BPL cards. “Any person who has not got this ration card can secure it by furnishing an affidavit stating his family income. But the Government will book a criminal case against people if the declaration is found to be false,” he declared.

Also, the ration card holders would have to give their thumb impression at the fair price depots from next month to get their monthly quota of foodgrains. They would get their quota of ration only if their fingerprints matched with those in records, he noted. Such a step had been taken to prevent the misuse of subsidised food grains.