Daily Times

KARACHI: Rethink Karachi as ‘the city of lights’ as its streetlights are mostly off but the government of Sindh has spent massive Rs 175 million for lighting city under streetlight projects in 2016-2017.

Even though millions of rupees were spent installing new streetlights, especially to illuminate the under passes, flyovers and freeways, the main arteries of the metropolis are gripped by darkness after the sun sets.

Commuters and passerby have a lot of trouble making their way through Sharae Faisal, Nishter Road, Mauripur Road, Sir Shah Suleman Road, Rashid Minahas Road, Abdul Hassan Isphani Road, Hub River Road. Shaharah-e-Ibn-e-Sina, S.M Taufiq Road, Mehran Higway, Mai Karachi, Jehangir Road, Korangi Road, Korangi – Ibrahim Hyderi Road, Abdul Hassan Isphani Road, Mauripur Road, Share Darul-Uloom (8000 Road Landhi Korangi, Raja sahib Mehmoodabad Road. (12000 Road Landhi) MA Jinnah Road, Shara-e-Pakistan, Shaheed-e-Millat Road and the three signal-free corridors in particular Nazimabad underpass.

LED lights has been fixed at Gharibabad and Laiqatabad underpasses at a cost of Rs 20 million, Nazimabad and Sohrab Goth at Rs 20 million,

Around Mazar-e-Quaid has been completed with Rs 16 million, Dockyard Road from ICI to Dockyard Gate at Rs 20 million, Shara-e-Fasisal vide from Shara-e-Qaudeen to Natha Khan Goth has not been attended and its allocate funds of Rs.85 million had been spent on other head.

Metropole Club Road upto Zainab Market works has been completed with Rs 14 million.

Chief Engineer of KMC has said that Rs 70 million are required for fitting streetlight on new constructed roads including Tariq Road, University Road and all under passes.

Major roads in DHA are also so dark that drivers use their high-beam light, making their life easier but difficult and blindingly dangerous for drivers coming from the opposite direction.

According to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) works and services department, around 50 percent of the electricity cables supplying power to streetlights have been stolen. Officials say the authorities have lost Rs 150 to Rs 200 million. The departmental staff, even the maintenance staff, had no other information about why the lights are not working and when they will be functional again.

“We realise that this is a big problem for the city as this is also giving way to an increase in street crime,” said Shafi Charchar, Chief Engineer KMC, “Criminals take advantage of the darkness and flee easily.”

The main reason for the city’s streetlight problem is the sheer negligence of the KMC authorities, officials claim. “They just keep hiring their favorites in whichever department they please,” they said. “This is why 90 percent of the street lights of the city don’t work.”

An official, on the condition of anonymity, said the people hired for street light maintenance have no background or qualification related to the work. “They don’t have a clue about how the system works.”

He believed that the city will be in darkness for a long time as millions of rupees are needed for the network to be repaired and the government “clearly does not have the money.”