Defunct streetlights on Bailey Road in Patna on Tuesday. Picture by Deepak Kumar

This Chhath, most streets will be bright at night.

The civic body and the government have decided to replace defunct streetlights and install new ones in Patna by the festival next week. Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation (BUIDCo) has started work on replacing 1,100 streetlights before Chhath next week.

There are around 6,000 streetlights in Patna and the corporation will focus on some of them before the festival.

On the maintenance work, being taken up after more than two years, a senior BUIDCo officer said: “It was seen that several streetlights in Patna did not work properly. Accordingly, the state urban development and housing department instructed BUIDCo to undertake their repair and maintenance work. We are going about the work in phases. Initially, we are focusing on the main roads and those near the ghats. We shall repair around 1,100 streetlights in the first phase.”

Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) will install 1,800 CFL (compact florescent lamp) streetlights in the 72 wards. It has also decided to repair 25 of the 66 high-mast lamps with an estimated outlay of Rs 10 lakh for Chhath. After Chhath, BUIDCo will also install 4,000 streetlights.

Residents are although sceptical about the authorities planning to improve the condition of the streetlights.

Amit Kumar, a resident, said: “Kankerbagh is one of the most upscale colonies in Patna but most streetlights in this area are not functional for the past several years. We have heard of announcements of installation of streetlamps countless times in the past, but there has been no difference to the condition.”

VIP areas like the chief minister’s residence and Raj Bhavan are well lit but the other roads like Bailey Road and Hardinge Road are covered in darkness after sunset. Till February 2011, Patna Electric Supply Undertaking was responsible for the maintenance of the streetlights. Later, the work was handed over to the PMC, but sources said the civic body could not do much good in dearth of technical manpower and equipment.

Most residential colonies do not even electrical poles, necessary to install the streetlights. The PMC claims to improve the situation with their drive of installing CFL streetlights.

“We will install 25 CFL streetlights in all 72 wards ahead of Chhath. Rates have been invited from the firms interested in the project,” said a senior PMC officer.

On repairing the high-mast lamps, the officer said: “We will take up the maintenance work of the 25 high-mast lamps, especially those on major crossings such as Dakbungalow, and near the Chhath ghats. The repair of each lamp will require Rs 12,000.”