Streetlights are finally working after 6 months
Published on: Thursday, September 30, 2021
By: Sidney Skinner
.jpg "Streetlights are finally working after 6 months")
A Council staff checks the control panel for the streetlights in one part of Taman Eramas.
AFTER a six-month hold up, a technical fault which caused the breakdown of streetlights in two Penampang neighbourhoods has finally been dealt with.A District Council spokesman said the power was restored to these facilities in Taman Eramas 118 and Taman Sri Juta mid-September after Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) workers completed the work.
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“Our contractor went to both areas shortly after this to check if everything was in order,” he said.
“Three lights were found to be out of order in Taman Eramas. The damaged components were replaced on the spot before these facilities could be activated.”
He said there was nothing amiss with the lights in Taman Sri Juta at the time.
The spokesman said the Council would step up efforts to monitor the lights at both locations to ensure that they did not malfunction.
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“The contractor has been instructed to be more mindful of any breakdowns and to try and resolve as soon as possible.
“Our officers also intend to meet with SESB personnel to discuss how such a lengthy delay might be avoided in future.”
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The Council apparently alerted the company earlier this year that no electricity was reaching the lights, according to him.
“We phoned the firm’s 15454 – Customer Management Centre – after our technicians confirmed that there was nothing wrong with the mechanisms servicing these facilities.”
He was, however, unable to specify when SESB was first informed about this.
“Several calls were made to the company and, when no action was forthcoming after a few months, a report from our technicians about the inoperative lights was also submitted to the company.”
A City Hall contractor gets ready to deal with the dangling bulb at this section of the Kolombong-Lintas Ring Road.
JON, who lives in Taman Eramas, said the housing roads in the neighbourhood, had not been illuminated for close to half a year.
He claimed the Council had repeatedly been informed about this situation but, so far, the streetlights had yet to be restored.
“I filled out a complaint-form at the Council’s office in March and was assured, at the time, that the staff would get back to me on this problem,” he said.
“Several of my neighbours also contacted City Hall to whom we pay assessment.
“So far, however, the stretch is still shrouded in darkness.”
Jon said the lack of illumination had made him concerned about the welfare and safety of his family and belongings.
“I fear that unscrupulous parties may take advantage of the situation to carry out misdeeds in the area.
DIN of Penampang, on the other hand, bemoaned the hazards of driving home to Taman Sri Juta at the night.
“It is difficult to gauge the movement of pedestrians and on coming vehicles when the streetlights are out of order,” he said.
“The visibility of drivers is further hampered if it there is a downpour after dark.
“I fear that someone might be run down, or a bad accident might occur, if the local authorities do not intervene.”
Meanwhile, City Hall has attended to streetlight-related irregularities along the section of the Kolombong-Lintas Ring Road and in Luyang Phase 5.
A spokesman for the agency’s Engineering Department said, in both instances, its skymaster was deployed to facilitate in efforts to resolve these problems.
“Our contractor found that the housing for one of the lights on the divider, in the middle of the main road between Metro Town and the junction to Neutron Point, had come away and reattached it to the pole,” he said.
“The individual also repaired the connections to some of the lights along Jalan Kijang, in Luyang.”
He said maintenance was carried out on these facilities as and when it became necessary to do so.
“Given as how our rating area covers an extensive area, our staff cannot be everywhere at once to determine where and when the streetlights fail.
“So, we hope the public will inform us directly of any problems involving these amenities to ensure that the illumination can be restored as quickly as possible.”
VERON of Luyang noticed that a streetlight bulb on the divider had been dislodged and was dangling from a wire after some heavy rains in September
She feared that the component which was hanging down could drop, at any time.
“I hope City Hall will deal with this problem before a bad accident takes place as hundreds of cars use the Ring Road daily.”
Another Luyang resident, RAY, said several of the lights along Jalan Kijang where he stays had been inoperative for some time.
He said these facilities seemed to function on an off.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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