Four high-mast lights on the Kharar-Banur-Tepla road have remained non-functional for more than three months, affecting visibility for commuters at night, even as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Mohali public works department (PWD) are busy passing the buck.
Members of the residents’ welfare society (RWS) of Emaar, Sector 108, said they had approached the highways authority regarding the defunct lights in their area. But NHAI project director Amit said the road had now been transferred to the Mohali PWD and that the responsibility therefore lay with the department. PSPCL assistant engineer Suhani said, “The NHAI connections have been disconnected due to pending bills totalling ₹ 7 lakh.
Commuters, meanwhile, are on the receiving end, as the non-functional lights have left the stretch prone to accidents. We want this issue to be resolved as soon as possible.
Dharmendra Singh, executive engineer, PWD (building and roads), Chandigarh, said some pending issues on the NHAI’s side were causing a delay in the transfer process and that the department had sent an intimation to the executive engineer, PWD (B&R), National Highway, Mohali, regarding the matter. Residents said some of the LED fittings had stopped functioning even before the electricity supply was disconnected. Purushottam Garg, general secretary, RWS, Emaar, said, “Residents and commuters are bearing the brunt of the confusion between departments over jurisdiction. Nitin Kumar, finance secretary, RWS, Emaar, said, “The non-functional lights increase the risk of accidents for motorists at night.”
