A total of 104 streetlights have been put up in Kg Likas and Kg Warisan, in Inanam, to increase the illumination of the common areas around both villages.A spokeswoman for City Hall’s Electrical Section said about 50 lights were erected along Jalan Haiwan and Lorong Tabib at the former location, with 54 at the latter.ADVERTISEMENT
“The lights in Kg Likas were first activated in the middle of the year while those in Kg Warisan became operational some time in November,” she said.
“These facilities were installed as part of our ‘Program Bandar Selamat 2021’ (2021 Safe City Programme), thanks to funding from a federal ministry.”
She said the agency last received an allocation for this purpose two years ago.
A contractor’s worker ascends so that he can replace this bulb along the road in front of Wisma Hasil.
ADVERTISEMENT “Our Engineering and City Planning Departments worked closely with the Police to identify those areas where the public lighting most needed to be improved.
“City Hall is in the midst of putting together a list of potential locations to carry out this work in 2022.
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“Special attention will be given to those places, within our rating area, from which we have received a lot of streetlight-related complaints.”
The spokeswoman said the proposed list would subsequently be vetted by the cops.
“The Police will weigh up our proposal against their data on crime-prone areas around KK. Those at the top of this black-list will be given preference.
“Once the target locations have been finalised, site inspections will be made so that City Hall can gauge the cost of sprucing up the public lighting in these places.
“This will allow us to budget for the work if we receive funds to implement the Safe City Programme again next year.”
On a complaint about the patches of darkness along the roads around and within a Karamunsing neighbourhood, the spokeswoman said technical faults caused the streetlights in these sections to fail.
It is a balancing act for this worker who stands on at the top of a ladder while dealing with the cabling-problem affecting this streetlight on Jalan Kebajikan.
“Inspections were made of Jalan St Francis Convent, Jalan Sang Kancil, Jalan Kebajikan and Jalan Menteri shortly after we became aware of this problem.”
She said a sky-master was later deployed to facilitate efforts to restore the illumination on these stretches.
“Our contractor repaired the damaged components inside some of the control panels here.
“New bulbs were also installed, in cases where the existing ones were found to have burnt out.”
She said City Hall enlisted the assistance of a concessionaire with the Public Works Department to deal with the lighting woes on Jalan Kebajikan and Jalan Menteri.
“The company’s workers helped trim the branches of trees, on the verge, which had encroached into the path of or fallen onto the power lines servicing some of the streetlights.
“Once this was done, our contractor attended to the cabling issues involving these amenities.”
The spokeswoman said the lights along all four roads were kept under observation for a fortnight afterwards to ensure that they did not breakdown.
“He has been told to make periodic checks of these facilities to ensure that these stretches are properly illuminated.”
SHERELL of Karamunsing voiced his displeasure about the patches of darkness in her neighbourhood, as well as along the roads in front of Wisma Hasil and the one between a Shell kiosk – off Jalan Kolam – and her housing area.
She said portions of the adjoining stretches, including one that passed Maktab Gaya and led to the Carmelite monastery, were also unlit.
“The streetlights on many of the road-shoulders here are not illuminated at night,” she said.
She claimed that the lights seemed to function on an off.
A faulty component inside this control panel on Jalan Sang Kancil is in the midst of being changed.
“Last month, they failed for several weeks. The problem was reported to City Hall and shortly after this, the lights were functioning.
“A few days later, they were out of order again.”
She said this was not the first time this had happened.
A worker with the PWD concessionaire uses a chainsaw to cut down a tree, which had fallen onto one of the electricity lines on Jalan Kebajikan, into more manageable pieces.
“The lights have been functioning intermittently for months. I cannot understand why they keep breaking down.”
Sherell hoped City Hall would act to ensure that the roads were properly illuminated before anything unpleasant happened to motorists or pedestrians who used these stretches.
“Drivers risk colliding with the approaching traffic coming round the bend. This situation is especially hazardous when it rains heavily.”
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