CM directs sarpanches to manage streetlight maintenance in gram panchayats

CM A Revanth Reddy instructs sarpanches to maintain streetlights in all Gram Panchayats, with LED networks linked to Central Command Centre, solar power promotion, and third-party audits for efficiency

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy directed officials to delegate powers of installing and maintaining streetlights to Sarpanches in all Gram Panchayats to prevent negligence in their upkeep.

At a high-level review meeting with Panchayat Raj and Municipal Administration departments on Monday, he instructed a survey on the availability and requirement of LED lights and dashboards to monitor their functioning. Dashboards will be installed at mandal level under the supervision of MPDOs and monitored by Additional Collectors at the district level.

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All LED streetlight networks will be connected to the Central Command Centre in Hyderabad. Control boxes will be installed to identify faulty streetlights and rectify them promptly.

The Chief Minister asked officials to reduce electricity bills by promoting solar power for streetlighting. Tenders will be invited for installation and long-term maintenance of LED lights, with reputed companies to be given contracts for seven years. Tender rules will be framed to ensure independent maintenance. He also stressed a third-party audit through institutions like IIT Hyderabad to evaluate efficiency in LED maintenance.