LAHORE: The Metropolitan Corporation of Lahore (MCL) has started developing an online monitoring mechanism in collaboration with the Punjab Information and Technology Board (PITB) to keep streetlights operational in the city.

A survey has also been launched in this regard by the joint teams of the MCL and the PITB, Dawn has learnt.

“Actually, we have launched an extensive campaign to maintain and keep the street lights operational initially on 26 major roads in the metropolis. We also want an online system through which we will come to know about the lights’ working,” MCL Chief Officer Masood Tamanah told Dawn on Friday.

“This system will help us to quickly fix the fault or replace the faulty lights with new ones before someone calls or visits us,” he added.

Under the project, the Metropolitan Corporation of Lahore has started inspecting streetlights to keep the city spots lit in night hours.

The roads where the MCL launched the project some days ago on the directions of Commissioner Dr Mujtaba Paracha include The Mall, Egerton Road, Circular Road, Empress Road, Jail Road, Gulberg Main Boulevard, Wahdat Road, MM Alam Road, Canal Road, Sundar Das Road, Race Course Road and Lawrence Road.

Mr Tamanah said the Punjab Information and Technology Board software would be the first of its kind in the country.

“We have a huge number of switches in the city through which we operate streetlights. The information related to these switches, roads, place etc would be available on the system that will inform us automatically about the faulty and operational lights,” the MCL chief maintained.

He said under another project, the MCL had also launched patchwork of all major roads.

Hopefully, he said, the patchwork at all roads would be completed before Eid.

The official said the MCL had also launched another project to make 44 non-functional water filtration plants operational.

Under this scheme, the MCL teams have started replacing the faulty parts of 44 plants in various city areas, he said.

CATTLE: Various teams of the city administration launched a drive to evacuate cattle from city areas. In this regard, 15 buffaloes were confiscated, according to a press release.

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2019