LMC wants prior information on road digging from LESA

We expect better coordination among government departments so that we can repair the damage and claim the amount from the department concerned PK SRIVASTAVA, additional municipal commissioner

LUCKNOW: Authorities at the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) are not amused with the frequent road digging undertaken by the Lucknow Electricity Supply Administration (LESA) due to cable faults.

They are also unhappy with telecommunication companies digging up roads without taking prior permission.

“At several places, LESA and telecom companies have dug up roads without even informing us,” said additional municipal commissioner, PK Srivastava.

He added, “We expect better coordination among government department so that we can repair the damage and claim the amount from the department concerned.”

However, general manager, LESA, SK Varma said that during cable faults engineers were “under tremendous pressure” as people wanted the power supply back at the earliest.

As a result, he added, it would not be fair to expect LESA to take permission before digging any part of a road, when an entire area might be “languishing in darkness”.

“Yes, we can inform them (LMC) once the power sup- ply has been restored,” he conceded.

LMC has also sought legal opinion from its legal cell, to appeal in high court for getting some tax dues against the municipal land given to LESA for installing transformers and poles.

Earlier, LESA used to pay five paisa to LMC for every pole installed by it. However, later high court directed it not to do so as it was for “public utility”.

“LMC House passed the resolution to get a legal opinion on the issue as LESA charges (us) for every unit it supplies for street lights, which are also for public utility,” he said.

The AMC added, “Either they stop charging for (electricity supplied to) street lights or they pay us for the poles and transformers that they have installed.”