AFTER already having to reckon with metal thieves damaging its streetlights in their search for the copper in some cables, City Hall now has to deal with mentally unstable vagrants vandalising these amenities.
The wires inside a control panel, related to the public lighting in one part of Likas Bay, were cut by a beggar earlier this month.
Another homeless individual set fire to some rubbish near a streetlight on the divider in the middle of the main road in Sembulan around this time, giving drivers the impression that the pole was on fire.
A sky-master was deployed to assist in the repairs to the lights in this part of Dah Yeh Villa.
A spokesman for the agency’s Engineering Department said its staff had been on their way to carry out an inspection in the UMS-area at the beginning of December, when they spotted the “suspicious activity” at the control panel.
The installation was located on the median between the roundabouts near the Bay 21 condominiums and City Mosque, according to him.
“The door of the panel was open and a shirtless man appeared to be fiddling with something inside,” he said.
“Our electrical contractor was alerted to what was transpiring but, by the time he and his crew turned up less than 30 minutes later, the beggar was nowhere to be seen.”
A check of the panel revealed that the wires inside had been cut in two, according to him.
“The contractor found it strange that none of the wires had been removed. This would have happened if the metal thieves had struck.”
He said the damaged connections were restored on the spot, including the ones to the photocell which would have rendered the lights inoperative if they had not been repaired.
The necessary adjustments were made to the timer for the lights.
“We asked around about the beggar and received feedback from our Landscaping colleagues who had seen the individual wandering about different parts of Likas Bay ‘selalu kacau-kacau (often tampering)’ with the public property.
“They seemed to think because of his appearance and behaviour that he may be ‘tidak siuman’ (of unsound mind).”
In the case of Jalan Coastal in Sembulan, the spokesman said the agency received word that one of its streetlights on the divider between the Ming Garden Hotel and Imago Shopping Mall was on fire on a weekday morning.
“Several road-users were alarmed to see ‘banyak asap (clouds of smoke)’ swirling around the pole about 7am.
“The Fire and Rescue Services Department were informed about their observations.
“When the firemen arrived, however, they found that the smoke was not coming from the streetlight. Some rubbish which had been piled up on the median, not far the pole, was burning.
“They suspected that some mischief-maker, with nothing better to do, had set the bits of garbage alight. We have been wondering if the culprit could have been another homeless individual who was not all there.”
He said police reports were made about these separate acts of vandalism.
On feedback that the panels at a section of the median on the Kolombong-Lintas Ring Road might have been vandalised which could account for why the streetlights were coming on during the day but not at night, the spokesman said bad hats were not to blame in this instance.
He said the agency’s contractor found that there was a problem with the timer for these amenities and attended to this component accordingly.
The spokesman regretted the electricity wastage which occurred because the lights came on during the day, saying that its staff would endeavour to step up their surveillance of the lights along the stretch.
“We hope, in this way, to minimise the likelihood of the power going to waste like this in future.”
City Hall technicians had also been asked to be more mindful about the public-lighting in one part of Dah Yeh Villa, according to him.
“Some of the ‘contactors’ for the lights on Lorong Kenawai 4 were found to be damaged. This led to this housing road going unlit for some time.”
He said a sky-master was deployed to facilitate the repairs.
He said the lights were tested that same afternoon after they had been dealt with to confirm that they were operational.
“The contractor kept this part of Dah Yeh Villa under surveillance at night for a week afterwards.
“During that time, he confirmed that nothing was amiss with these lights.”
