Lack of functional street lights, drinking water plague Ward 37 residents

Ranchi: Several localities in ward number 37 under the Ranchi Municipal Corporation are grappling with the absence of functional street lights, leaving residents to navigate dark and unsafe roads after sunset.

The residents, particularly women and elderly residents, said evening hours have become risky for them due to poor visibility.

Many streets in the ward that covers Dhurwa, HEC Sector 1, Jagannathpur, SAIL City Road, and Mausibadi areas continue to grapple with the absence of streetlights. The ward comprises numerous slum areas inhabited by individuals from the lower economic stratum.

“The absence of street lights has emerged as a major issue in the area, both for the motorists and the pedestrians. The dark lanes have increased risk of accidents in the area, as in some patches, the roads are also in a dilapidated condition. The pedestrians, too, are in fear of becoming victims of snatching gangs as such cases are repeatedly taking place across the city,” said Sunita Kumari, a resident of the Mausibadi area.

Another resident, Shiv Kumar, said, “The light posts are standing here just as showpieces and do not serve any purpose. This time also, the candidates are promising to fix the lights, and even if they do, I know after some time, the lights will again stop working.”

Apart from these problems, there is also one of the major problems in the area — the erratic municipal water supply.

“Water comes once in several days, and that too for a short duration. Managing daily chores has become extremely difficult. The lack of water affects cooking, sanitation, and hygiene. The residents are compelled to rely on community borewells to fulfil their household needs. For drinking purposes, we have to buy water daily, taking a toll on our household expenses,” said Rupa Devi, a local of Jagannathpur.

Former ward councillor Anand Murti, who is contesting the election this time, too, told TOI that during his last tenure, he had installed many street lights in the ward and also dug up five borewells to resolve the water scarcity.

“However, as the election was on hold for the last three years, the majority of the lights became non-functional due to a lack of maintenance. Water scarcity is also a major problem here as the area is a dry zone. Out of the five wells dug, two projects failed in my last tenure. But this time, I am again contesting the election to complete the works that were left undone or incomplete due to hurdles put by the Covid pandemic,” Murti added.

Murti said that if he wins the election, he is going to build community libraries for the slum children, who often fail to get quality education due to their modest economic condition.