chowky Ganga Dham Dhole Barely a month after its first phase of installation, the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) ambitious plan to set up LED kerbstones in accidentprone zones is closing down. About 86,000 of these blocks have already been installed at a cost of Rs 1,800 to Rs 2,500 each, but most of them are already either defunct or damaged. Flooded with complaints, PMC has decided to withdraw the proposal and no new blocks will be set up forthwith.It was only in August this year that PMC decided to illuminate dividers and footpaths across the city to curb accidents occurring due to lack of visibility. Over 40 such accident-prone stretches were identified and, in the first phase, the blocks were installed in Salisbury Park near Maharshi Nagar police. Similarly, thearea near Shri Aai Mataji Chowk was identified for installation as well. These kerbstone lights were to blink, alert and guide drivers at night.Now, with most of the lights lying defunct due to short-circuit from the rain, the contractor has been asked to maintain only those LEDs installed in the first phase. Speaking to Mirror, Eknath, the Wanowrie resident who raised the initial complaint, said, “It took only one heavy shower for most of these blocks to become defunct. There was no requirement or demand for such costly lights. Installation of proper and efficient streetlights would have been sufficient.”“These LED blocks require special attention. But here, citizens blithely use the footpath to park their vehicles. Even a small nudge from a two-wheeler is enough to damage these LEDs. Also, with the layers of dust, soil and smoke, these lights are hardly visible. We even saw that staff had been appointed to keep these blocks clean.Why is this a priority when we are facing far more horrifying problems of traffic in the city? This is a waste of money,” Dhole added.Balasaheb Runwal, a civic activist from Gangadham in Bibvewadi, echoed, “The quality and utility of these LEDs is questionable. They are also consuming electricity at a time when PMC itself is facing hefty electricity bills. Many of the electrical cables used to connect them are exposed and a possible threat to pedestrians. We are against this project as it is a waste of money and definitely not sustainable. The Gangadham area and its adjacent chowk connects Market Yard, Kondhwa and Bibvewadi. There is heavy traffic here at all times and we need proper streetlights.”Confirming that the project is being shut down, Shriniwas Kandul, chief superintendent of PMC’s electrical department, told Mirror, “After receiving several complaints of defunct LEDs, we have decided not to go ahead with this project in the rest of the city.” “We have told the contractor to stop installation. The first phase already has 86,000 of these blocks and we have instructed the contractor to repair and maintain them for the next 12 years,” he added.When asked how much the contractor has already been paid, Kandul refused to answer.

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