Now,discoms in charge of city’s streetlights

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) charges taxpayers nearly Rs 100 crore every year to maintain streetlights in more than half of Delhi,but is often blamed for poor maintenance.

“That is why we proposed that power companies,which are already supplying electricity to the entire city,should also take over streetlighting,” said Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta.

The decision,approved by the Delhi Cabinet on Monday,requires all power companies to create subsidiary companies that will exclusively maintain streetlights in the areas currently under their service,said Mehta.

“The subsidiaries are required because expenditure incurred by the primary companies is factored into the power tariff,which all consumers pay,whereas providing streetlights is the government’s job,” Mehta said.

The government will pay power companies the cost of maintaining streetlights,a senior power official said,which it will compensate by reducing the funds it allocates to the MCD for the purpose. “We provide the municipal agency with the money required to maintain streetlights. We will simply reallocate that amount to the power companies,” the official said.