Nazimuddin Shyamol
CHATTOGRAM, Nov 02: Despite being commercial capital of Bangladesh and hosting the country's prime sea port, many areas of port city are yet to be illuminated with street lights.
Hundreds of thousands of people are still in dark in Chattogram as there are many areas in the south-eastern divisional city which have no street lights.
The areas in the port city where any street lights have never been installed are situated in Patenga, Bakolia, Bohaddarhat, Rahattarpole, Meahkhan Nagar, Oxygen and Hatahazari, sources said.
Meanwhile, the CCC has taken up a project worth over Tk 2.5 billion (Tk 250 crore 89 lakh, 87,000) approved by the concerned department of the government recently to implement the street illumination programme, the CCC officials said.
"Several lakh city-dweller are still in dark in the aforesaid areas as there are no street lights till now," CCC officials and locals said.
That's why the CCC has taken up the multi-billion taka project to install LED lights in all streets under the 41 wards of the corporation, said the officials.
"About 20,600 LED street lights will be installed under the 41 wards," an official told the FE.
The CCC official said 410 kilometers roads under the corporation have been brought under the electrification programme.
According to the official, the CCC will install LED bulbs atop street lamp posts on 10 km of roads in each ward. The lights will be installed on a total of 410 km roads in 41 wards in the next one year, he said.
The project will be implemented by December, 2020, he added.
CCC sources said, the sustainable and renewable fuel development authority of Bangladesh signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Energy Efficiency Services Limited of India in 2017 and under the MoU street lights will be installed in every ward of the CCC. The Project Evaluation Committee approved the project in October 2018, they said.
CCC Mayor A J M Nasir Uddin said he had pledged to the city dwellers to remove the darkness in those areas of the port city.
"I had committed (to the people) to bring hundred per cent city areas under street lights," he said.
"Following the commitment, I have started the project which is undergoing now. In the meantime we have set up street lights on 87 km roads in several wards. Of these, lights were installed on 58 km roads by Power Development Board (PDB) while 29 km roads were brought under lights by the CCC's own funding," he stated.
Besides, JICA will set up LED lights on 80 km roads under another project, he mentioned.
"We have also taken steps for setting up LED lights on another 50 km roads in those wards," he added.
nazim07@yahoo.com
