RTI reveals huge amount spent on maintenance of streetlights in Gurgaon
7 Sep, 2013
An application was filed with the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) under the Right to Information (RTI) Act seeking to know the details about the streetlights on the Old Delhi-Gurgaon road which falls in zone II of Gurgaon. The application was filed by a daily commuter through the road who found that most of the street lights were dysfunctional except around the area near the HUDA main office.
The reply from the MCG executive engineer states these streetlights have been dysfunctional since November 2012. However, the details of the payment provided to the contractor responsible for the functioning and maintenance of the lights shows that huge amount to the tune of over 45 lakhs per annum is being handed to the contractor despite the poor services.
The applicant has alleged that the corporation is being quite opaque regarding the payments made to the contractor. It was stated that between October 2012 and January 2013, an amount of Rs. nine lakhs were paid to the contractor, though the reply remained silent about the details of the payment.