A DAY after MiD DAY published a report ('Rusty lamppost falls on shanty, kills 50-yr-old', August 6) about how an elderly flower vendor from Dadar (W) died after a rusty lamppost fell on the hut on July 28, records available with the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) revealed that nearly 5,000 lampposts installed prior to year 2000 are in a dangerous condition.
What compounds the matter further is that the BEST administration is clueless about the exact locations of these dilapidated lampposts, of the 32,700, installed between Colaba and Sion/Mahim areas falling under its jurisdiction.u00a0
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MiD DAY report on August 6
“The average life of a lamppost is around 10 to 12 years. Currently, about 15 per cent lampposts were been fitted on or before 2000,” said a BEST official, adding that the life of lampposts depend on geographical conditions and quality of the road they are installed on, among others.
Change of light
BEST General Manager O P Gupta said that the administration was considering using LED lamps. “The LED lamps will help us save 40 per cent on our electricity bills. We will soon commence inspection of street lamps that have been installed prior to year 2000.” Currently, tungsten, mercury, sodium, fluorescent or halogen lamps are used as streetlights.
Statistics
>> Number of lampposts under BEST: 32,700
>> Number of poles installed before year 2000: 5,000 (approx.)
>> Average life of a lamppost: 10 to 12 years
Year u00a0 u00a0 u00a0 u00a0 u00a0 lampposts
2012-13 u00a0 u00a039,700
2010-11 u00a0 u00a039,328
2009-10 u00a0 u00a038,996u00a0
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