lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung’s decision to switch off halogen lamps after 10 pm, as a power saving measure, has not gone down well with social activists.
Serious reservations have been raised against the decision, which aimed to address the power crisis in the national Capital. They believe that the move will have serious implications on public safety. Children, women and elderly people may suffer because of this as law and order in certain stretches of the city may go for a toss. Studies in the past have indicated about certain dark stretches in the Capital as the main reason for crimes against women and street crimes. Not only this, social activists believe that it’s a ‘mindless’ measure and would not yield desired results. It also won’t solve the power blues. They said a majority of women return to their homes after 10 pm and dark streets will be dangerous for them. The same would be the case with senior citizens who may not be able to drive.
“This matter should have been given some deep thought before the decision was made. It would lead to a lot of problems for the women, senior citizens and the disabled. At times we see lamps on during the day. So what we need to do is keep a strict vigil on the functioning of lights. Even though the private sectors are handling it, not much has changed,” said Ranjana Kumari, Director, Central for Social Research (CSR). Senior police officers too, claimed that the situation might take a toll and turn the city into an accident prone zone. The dark areas in the city will lead to law and order problems and vehicle theft may go up, street crime will be a cause of concern as anti-social elements may take advantage and target the vulnerable sections of the society. “Traffic mismanagement and accidents may rise in the city. A sense of fear will sink in making life of commuters and pedestrians difficult. The situation will be a helping hand for the criminals,” said a senior police official preferring anonymity.