Kochi Corpn. to issue notice to CSML over streetlight maintenance

The Kochi Corporation is set to issue a notice to Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CSML) over the alleged slackness in the operation and maintenance of LED streetlights installed by it.

CSML had initially installed nearly 3,300 smart, energy-efficient lights around three years ago, followed by another 40,000 under the Pan City LED Streetlight project last year, at a total cost of ₹35 crore. Two separate agencies were entrusted with the operation and maintenance of the lights for five years.

However, the LED lights have drawn flak from councillors across political parties over their alleged erratic functioning and poor upkeep. At the last council meeting, councillors demanded action against the agencies responsible for operation and maintenance.

“We are preparing a notice, based on legal opinion, to be issued to CSML, citing the problems and asking it to show cause why the agencies should not be replaced. We are caught in a dilemma since we cannot repair the lights ourselves and the only option is to replace them. We will also write to the State government on the issue and may even demand a probe into the dilution of tender conditions while awarding the project. The new CSML Chief Executive Officer, Arun S. Nair, has agreed to examine the matter. The project has not reduced our power bill either, which continues to hover around ₹1.17 crore a month,” said Mayor V.K. Minimol.

She expressed doubts about the quality of the control panels installed as part of the project, alleging that they were of inferior quality and prone to malfunctions during rain. The lights were supposed to be installed on separate poles independent of KSEB electric posts, but those tender conditions were later relaxed, she alleged.

CSML sources countered that at no point were more than 200 lights non-functional, which, they argued, was acceptable for a network of over 43,000 lights. Moreover, they pointed out that the Corporation manages the agencies entrusted with the operation and maintenance of the system. When the initial batch of 3,300 lights was installed, the supporting infrastructure was also upgraded. However, that was not the case with the second batch of 40,000 lights.

“When an electrical line develops a fault, the control panel trips and the lights go off, which is a protective mechanism, especially during rains. A control panel supports 10–15 lights along a street, giving the impression that the lights have failed en masse. While the lights can initially be restored from the control room, repeated tripping requires the fault in the electrical line to be rectified by the KSEB. In 70% of cases, the fault lies with the electrical line, reducing the issue to a blame game between the KSEB and the maintenance agencies,” CSML sources said.

There are also conflicting reports about the number of LED lights installed outside the ambit of the CSML project. While the Corporation claims the figure is around 6,000, maintenance agencies engaged under the CSML project put it at around 20,000. This has created confusion over whether the complaints being reported relate to CSML-installed lights or those outside its scope, sources added.

Ms. Minimol said steps had been initiated to extend maintenance coverage to the 6,000 old street lights outside the CSML project and to replace them gradually.