City Hall and SESB to restore public lighting
Published on: Thursday, March 30, 2023
By: Sidney Skinner
Part of the gate to the SESB substation along this part of Jalan UMS had been cut.
CITY Hall is working together with Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) to restore the public lighting between the flyover, near the federal administrative complex, and the Universiti Malaysia Sabah traffic-light intersection in Inanam.A 2.3 kilometre-plus section of Jalan UMS has been shrouded in darkness for the past fortnight, much to the chagrin of the hundreds of motorists who travel this route regularly, including an e-hailing driver from Penampang.
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SESB, on the other hand, has restored 13 streetlights around Kg Manggis, many of which have been inoperative “for years”, according to the rural folk living in this Kuala Penyu village.
The fittings for the equipment inside the substation had been vandalised.
A spokesman for City Hall’s Engineering Department said cable-thieves were to blame for the lack of illumination on Jalan UMS.
He said its electrical contractor found that electricity was not reaching the control panel for the streetlights, under his maintenance, around the middle of the month.
“The individual observed that the soil near the SESB substation, a few metres away from the panel, had been dug up,” he said.
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Other irregularities came to light upon closer examination at the time, according to him.
“From outside the substation, he noticed that part of the wire for the gate had been cut and some of the equipment inside had been damaged.”
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The contractor lodged a report with SESB about the power disruption involving the panel later that day. “The company’s staff subsequently informed us that the substation had been vandalised, with the bad hats making away with several components.
“Among the missing items were a ‘busbar’, the outgoing fuse and its linkage, as well as some of the fibre line. “We were made to understand that a police report has been lodged about the theft.”
As of March 29, the spokesman said the streetlights on the affected section of Jalan UMS and those at Phase 3 of the cycle-cum-jogging path along the Likas Coastal Road had yet to restored.
“When we last checked with SESB, we were told that the management was hoping to finish attending to the substation by this week.
“These repairs will have to be completed before our contractor can go back to check on the lights.”
A SESB spokesman said the relevant section would be informed about the irregularities involving the substation. “The substation will have to ascertain the extent of the damage before proceeding with further action,” he said.
ALFEE of Penampang bemoaned the lack of illumination along the roads on either side of the flyover near the federal administrative complex.
He said it was difficult to gauge the movement of traffic when using these stretches at night.
“The situation is especially dangerous if there is a downpour as you might unknowingly encroach into the lane next to you and wind up colliding with the driver in that lane,” he said.
He said drivers also had to be especially watchful at night as it was difficult to make out pedestrians crossing the roads.
Alfee hoped the local authorities would look into having the area lit as soon as possible before a bad accident occurred and lives were lost.
Meanwhile, SESB will step up efforts to check on the public lighting around Kg Manggis in Kuala Penyu. Another spokesman for the firm said a team of its technicians went to the village last week to deal with those lights which had been affixed to the electricity poles around the roads in the area.
“They initially reactivated the lights near the ‘surau’ (prayer hall), where many would be going for night-time prayers during this Fasting month,” he said. “The same was later done for the lights around the houses here.”
An SESB technician gets a closer look at this streetlight in Kg Manggis.
He said SESB staff would periodically keep an eye on these amenities, with maintenance carried out as and when it became necessary to do so.
To this end, the spokesman hoped the chairman of the “Jawatankuasa Pembangunan dan Keselamatan” (Security and Development Committee) for Kg Manggis would alert its branch office about any irregularities involving the lights there.
ALI of Kuala Penyu said the streetlights around the village had been out of order for the past five years. “The night-time illumination would make it easier for drivers to make out any pedestrians or livestock crossing the roads here,” he said.
“I initially lodged a report about the streetlight woes at the District Council.
“Later, when I enquired about the progress about my complaint, I was informed that these amenities did not belong to the agency.”
A Council spokesman confirmed that this was the case, saying that eventhough Kg Manggis was located within its rating area, the agency had yet to collect assessment from those living there.
“Our services – be it for public lighting or garbage collection – have yet to be extended to the public here,” he said.
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