Noida: The upcoming general election seems to be putting a full stop on residents’ safety in Noida. Installation of streetlights on the Sector 62 metro road will have to wait until the polls are over, say officials, even as passengers, especially women, continue to complain about the dark stretch between Electronic City metro station and Sector 62 roundabout.Officials say the streetlights can be reinstalled only after the elections as a tender needs to be issued for the same. The issue assumes significance against the backdrop of recent attacks on women passengers in moving auto-rickshaws.Many passengers, mostly those moving towards Ghaziabad, say they would prefer travelling by a cab rather than taking the metro due to the lack of streetlights on the 300-metre long stretch. “The lights installed in Sector 63 were not functioning for the past few days. Once you get down at the station, it is difficult to walk till NH-9 to take an auto, especially in the evening,” Meghna Mathur, a resident of Indirapuram, said.While the streetlights installed near the H block market in Sector 63 were not functioning for the past few days, they were fixed only after some commuters raised the issue with Authority officials last week. “Similarly, the lights installed between the stretch from Sector 59-Mamura Chowk too were non-functional for weeks,” said Abhishek Bhattacharya, a resident of Sector 62.To fix the problem permanently, officials say streetlights need to be installed on the central verge of the road.RP Singh, Noida Authority’s project engineer, told TOI that lights on the central verge had to be dismantled when Delhi metro planned to take the Noida City Centre extension link forward.“Due to this change in the project, the streetlights had to be dismantled. Streetlights were installed on the road after the metro work completion. However, one phase is left for installation. Its specifications are complete but we can only pass the tender and get it sanctioned after the elections since the model code of conduct (MCC) is in place,” he said. “The Authority addressed the complaints of some residents last week and got some lights fixed,” Singh added.In the wake of recent robberies in moving autos, the Noida traffic police is planning to start a pre-paid auto service from three of the metro stations — Botanical Garden, City Centre and Electronic City.Gautam Budh Nagar SSP Vaibhav Krishna said the traffic police would install booths at these metro stations where auto-rickshaw owners would have to register themselves and get the three-wheelers verified. “Only after they register will they be allowed to ply on the metro station concerned. The others will not be allowed to queue up,” he said.

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