URBAN JUNGLE Many locations in the city seem to have visibly dimmed of late, and poorly-lit areas serve as a magnet for criminals
Why do our railway stations, bus stops and public places meant for the common man appear dark and forbidding at dusk? It has a lot to do with the state of electricity supply, which now frequently dips to 160 volts, and the quality of lighting infrastructure. Many locations in the city seem to have visibly dimmed in recent times, adding to the broken and decrepit appearance of places meant to serve a large number of people — except along roads on which political parties hold night meetings. But more on that later.
Poorly illuminated areas serve as a magnet for criminals. The city police recently claimed to have nabbed a group of robbers in Chetpet, who mugged four people in different incidents at night. A common factor in the incidents was the proximity of the Chetpet bridge, a run-down structure that overlooks the suburban railway station. This bridge has a pair of concrete staircases leading to the station, one of them in disuse and the other, the only access path for most people. The eastern staircase is badly broken. Both sides look like they are right out of a faded Victorian image, with debris and litter all around. Bear in mind that suburban trains operate up to midnight and from 4 a.m., and passengers must go to the station through this scary maze. A little extra lighting right up to the station would help.
If the dark approaches to Chetpet and other suburban railway stations provide miscreants with the best conditions to operate, the MRTS stations have other deadly traps. Last week, one commuter fell into a drain without a cover in the unlit Chintadripet station premises at night, and had to be treated at for a dislocated ankle. The simple truth is that the stations of this “flying train” route lack basic lighting. And the drain has been without a cover for years now, waiting to snare, like a poacher’s trap in the dark.
Not all of Chennai’s non-VIP roads are dark and filthy. On days that a big political party, whether ruling or in opposition, has an evening public meeting, scores of tubelights appear along the streets. Look carefully, and you will notice that each light is connected to a main wire using a pin and a connector wire. The main wire is usually simply plugged into a public electricity junction box. So what you have is an unofficial free power scheme for political meetings. You might call that electricity theft under the law, but the enforcement squads of TANGEDCO invariably don’t notice these small details. We saw that most recently in Kodambakkam on June 28. Although the political party involved tried to deflect attention by adding a generator to power the dais floodlights, the tubelights along the street were plugged into a junction box. Does TANGEDCO not seek penal revenue from these parties, and organisers of religious festivals on the streets for illegally consumed power? Consumers with installed connections pay for it and yet sweat it out during load-shedding. Our 230 volt gadgets do not work these days, because the electricity standard is going the ‘American way,’ dropping towards the 110 volt system. Perhaps with power saved from the free riders, and our civic bureaucracy waking up to the need for good lighting, we should be able to illuminate common spaces better, and make them safer.
Keywords: robbery, mugging, Poorly illuminated areas, criminal activities
Very frustrating, I have relocated to bangalore. Atleast the city is welcoming compared to ruthless autorickshaw in chennai
Thank you THE HINDU. sincere effforts at the official level can and will solve these issues
I used to live in Chennai, then Madras in 1970's. Mugging in the Chetpet station area was a regular event. Seems little has changed!
This is the real epitome for Tamilnadu's poor government. To insist, in many areas, living is not safe, roads and sanitary system are damn moot. If we consider PTC near Thuraipakkam, entire area around Sivan Temple is like a hell having the Kannagi Nagar in the proximity. People are rude and so many thieves are passed by. If it rains, you need to forget a comfortable walk along the roads. If you forget about the people in locality, what the govt is doing to make it ameliorated..? No proper street lights and thanks to little residential smell..! There are so many robbers along the OMR also and uncovered drainage holes, incomplete road works etc etc. If perambulating in the city itself is such a miserable and vulnerable, forget about the ease in outskirts. Hope the things would get better.
My heartful thanks to "The Hindu" for raising concerns of a comman man.
The dimming of street lights are also due to senseless decision by corporation and electricity board to install low power sodium lamps that consumes lower power consumption. This has resulted in numerous deaths due to dim lighting as the potholes and other debris ont he road could not be seen using the street light.
Corporation is singly responsible for the senseless road accidents that happen due to poor lighting of the roads.
we are saving power but are losing lives via accidents but afterall human lives have no cost??.
It's been a regular practice by these robbers and others crimnals is to first get rid of these lights to commit the crime in dark. I have seen on certain streets were the lights are installed and in a day or two they are stoned and destroyed. As our city is expanding, its a high time to install the CCTV camera's all over the city to control the crimes.
Really sad. Appreciate "The Hindu" for covering this.
I hope the people of influence and conscience take an active stand in making our Indian cities like Chennai more livable and hence more civilized.
Power theft by both political parties. This is real good one. IF only
people will remember, who paid for the electricity during the grand
wedding of VN Sudhakaran. It's the same story over and over again. The
power consumers pay for the power theft by both political parties. As
these theft increases, the increase in the cost is passed on to the
consumers.
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