KARACHI, July 10: In consultation with the city government, the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation will now be responsible for switching on and switching off the street lights of the city.

Official sources told Dawn on Wednesday that the timely switching and maintenance of the street lights —all types of lights installed for illumination of roads, streets, lanes, parks, playgrounds and other common places which are not controlled by any individual meter — would be the responsibility of the power utility.

They added that the city government would make available the physical infrastructure at its own expense.

“The KESC will be responsible for the switching and maintenance of the follow-ing types of the street-lights: those installed with low-tension distribution mains of the power utility, those installed at poles erected by civic agencies, those installed privately by different non-governmental organizations and social committees. It will also look after all those types of neon signs and advertising boards associated with streetlight mains.”

KESC officials were at pains to explain that the city government did not stand completely relieved of the responsibility. “If a bulb goes off or a wire is burnt out, the city government will have to step in. The KESC will only ensure that all street lights remained in a working condition.”

They pointed out that previously people rightly complained that the street lights used to remain on even in daytime, resulting in great power loss. “Besides, a large number of street lights used to remain on the blink most of the time, inconveniencing people a lot.”

According to a KESC plan, a supervisor streetlight of the area will be responsible for the timely switching of all the street lights in his area of jurisdiction.

“He will also be responsible for reporting and getting rectified a fault in the circuit through the resources of his composite complaint centre.

An electrical supervisor or sub-engineer who is on duty on evening and night shifts at the composite complaint centre will be responsible for confirmation of switching of the street lights in the area.

He will also be responsible for the getting the faults removed from the streetlight circuits which are pointed out by the supervisor streetlight.

The zonal manager would be responsible for the effi-cient implementation of the policy.”

The KESC plan spells out that no manual switches at normal reachable height will be allowed in any case.

“However, if a breaker is removed for maintenance or repair purpose by the KESC, a temporary manual arrangement may be done, but it should not be at normal reachable height. In such a case, urgent replacing of the temporary manual switch must be ensured within one week.”

It adds that any manual swi-tch installed in the area will be switched on and off by a composite complaint centre under the instructions of the supervisor streetlight of the area.