Motorists left in the dark

By Noel Achariam streets@nstp.com.my 2009/05/05

KUALA LUMPUR: For the past four months, motorists using the Jalan Duta interchange have been driving in the dark. The street lights have not been working along the 800m stretch, but no one seems to know who is responsible for their maintenance. Segambut member of parliament Lim Lip Eng, who highlighted the matter, said there had been several accidents in the area since early this year. "When the problem was brought to my attention four months ago, I immediately contacted City Hall. One of the officers I spoke to acknowledged that the street lights were faulty. However, he said the street lights were not under the care of City Hall, but falls under the jurisdiction of TNB (Tenaga Nasional Bhd)," Lim said. When Lim contacted TNB, however, he was told that City Hall was responsible for the street lights. Lim contacted City Hall again, and was given the same reply: the street lights were under the care of TNB. "I contacted TNB again, and they said they would investigate the problem. "After their investigations, the TNB officers told me that the cause of the blackout was missing cables, which were believed to have been stolen." Lim urged whichever party responsible for the street lights to act fast as about 10,000 motorists used the highway daily. "The problem has been going on for a few months and nothing has been done. I fear that if this issue is not resolved soon, there might be more accidents," he said. 
Motorist C. Yadev, 33, who lives in Jalan Ipoh, said he used the Duta interchange daily to commute to his office at Siemens Tower in Damansara. "I have noticed that the street lights have been out for sometime now. It is dangerous for motorists to use the interchange. I hope the local authority can solve the problem soon," he said. A TNB spokesperson told Streets that they had received several complaints on the street lights. "Our officers have checked and the in-coming supply is fine. The problem lies in the street lights and they do not belong to us," he said. 
A City Hall spokesman said he would check on the matter.

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