Sajid Sulaiman & E Arun
Port Blair, Feb 24: The road leading to Carmel School from Kendra Vidyalaya No. 1 in the capital town of Port Blair is always seen engulfed in darkness after the sunset. This road is a prominent stretch and is constantly used by people to reach their destinations quickly during the evening and night hours.
It is seen that street lights are erected on the sides of roads but they are not in working conditions and most of the street lights are without bulbs and tube lights. People of that area are facing a lot of difficulties to cross by that road during evening and night hours specially the school and college girls, who go for tuitions or computer classes at various places and return back home only after the sun sets.
“It is very difficult for us to cross the road alone while returning from tuition classes. We often encounter group of boys, who pass comments or often we encounter drunkards on the said road” said a girl residing in that area.
Now the question arises why those lights are not changed or repaired even after they were broken and even after complaints were lodged in PBMC.
When Andaman Sheekha contacted Mr. Azizur Rahman, Councillor Ward No.6 and asked for the reasons for not fixing up street lights in that road Mr. Azizur Rahman informed that he had changed the broken tube lights and bulbs after receiving complaints but again those lights were broken in few days. “Even after inquiry we are not able to understand who are involved in such vandalism,” Rehman added.
Many believe that anti-social elements break all the bulbs as soon as they are replaced by PBMC so that they could use the said road for gambling or for other anti-social acts.
Further he informed that he had taken up the matter of providing security in that area in council meetings and upon which the Municipal Council had also informed the Police Department about the incidents that are happening in that particular road.
Mr. Azizur Rahman has also requested the general public to pass on any information available about the people involved in breaking of the street lights on that specific road to the Municipal Council, Police Department or to him personally to take strict action against the ones involved in the menace.
“As soon as we are replacing the streetlight, those are broken by unknown people. We need help of police to apprehend people, who are doing this. Social policing by Port Blarians will also be helpful in this regard,” the councillor added.
