RAWALPINDI: Solar panels were installed to operate street lights at some roads in the garrison city, some four years ago. Since the last few months, however, these lights have been out of order with the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) failing to repair and maintain the solar panels.

The street lights at the 5th Road, Rehmanabad, Dhoke Khabba and Rashid Minhas Road had been made solar powered at a cost of Rs90 million.

A senior RDA official told Dawn the batteries required replacement and panels needed to be cleaned but there was no arrangement in place to do this. He said the Rawal Town Municipal Administration (RTMA) was responsible for maintain these solar panels.

On the other hand, an RTMA official claimed that while his department was responsible for maintaining street lights which run on electricity, no one in RTMA is trained in repairing lights which are solar powered.

Meanwhile, MPA Arif Abbasi alleged that provincial government’s performance can be seen in these areas.

“Civic agencies refused my request to fix the street lights,” he said.

The MPA alleged that the Punjab government and the local administration only work on the orders of non-elected people associated with the ruling party while ignoring the elected representatives of the area.

The law and order situation calls for street lights to be repaired, he said, so that people feel safe. “These lights cost the national exchequer a lot of money,” he said.

Many streets are plunged into darkness every night

A resident of Satellite Town D-Block, Mohammad Khurram told Dawn that the area is not safe at night as the streets are plunged in darkness.

“The RDA should not have installed the solar powered lights if they did not have experts to maintain it,” he said.

Muhammad Imran, a resident of Commercial Market, said that people pay their taxes and in return, the civic bodies fail to improve the conditions of roads, street lights and the sewerage system.

Commissioner Zahid Saeed who is RDA director general was not available for comments.

However, an RDA official told Dawn that he would bring up the matter with director general and it would soon be resolved.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2015

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