Gandhi Bazaar Road in Basavanagudi, a famous shopping area in Bengaluru, has been plunged into complete darkness due to thieves. More than 120 street lights have been switched off as thieves have stolen copper wires and controllers from electric poles. Dangerous live wires are dangling on the road, making women and children extremely afraid to come here in the evening.
Bengaluru, June 12: Thousands of people gather at Gandhi Bazaar, whether it is a festival or a weekend. However, for the past few days, women and children have been extremely afraid to come here as evening falls. The reason for this is that Gandhi Bazaar Road in Basavanagudi, which was developed at a cost of crores of rupees, is now plunged into complete darkness.
Highlights
- Street lights have been switched off in Gandhi Bazaar in Basavanagudi due to thieves.
- Out of a total of two hundred poles, more than one hundred and twenty lights are not burning.
- Dangerous live electric wires are dangling, posing a serious threat to the public.
200 electric poles; more than 120 lights are out!
In Gandhi Bazaar, which falls under the Chikkapet assembly constituency, crores of rupees were recently spent to install a high-tech road, well-paved footpath and attractive LED street lights. But due to the negligence of the authorities and the menace of thieves, the street lights here have not been turned on for the past one month.
There are more than 200 electric poles from Ramakrishna Ashram Circle in Gandhi Bazaar to Adyar Anand Bhavan Hotel. But thieves are stealing the iron caps, lightings, copper wires inside the fuse box and controllers inside the LP box. As a result, more than 120 pillar lights are not burning, Heritage Basavanagudi Association Secretary Guruprasad and local trader Ramakrishna have expressed their dissatisfaction.
Do dangling wires pose a threat to lives?
In the process of stealing street lights, thieves have cut electrical wires everywhere. Due to this, live electrical cables are dangling dangerously on the side of the road, where the public walks. Children and the elderly come to Gandhi Bazaar every day. Local bag trader Palani expressed concern that there is a fear that innocent lives will be lost due to these open wires, even if they are broken.
Public outrage over the silence of the authorities
As 6 pm passes, the entire area becomes a pit of darkness, and women are afraid to walk alone. Locals are worried that mobile snatching or chain snatching may take place taking advantage of the darkness. Residents have expressed their anger that despite several complaints to BBMP and BESCOM officials, nothing has been done.
It is a tragedy that the concerned departments are turning a blind eye to the theft of public property built with crores of rupees of taxpayers' money. The public is demanding that the police should increase night patrols in this area and that the authorities should immediately repair the lights.