Absence of streetlights, CC cameras rise security risk in Birendranagar

BY NABIN SUBEDI,Surkhet, Sept. 10: Managing security has been a big challenge in Birendranagar Municipality, the capital of Karnali Province, due to a lack of streetlights and inadequate CCTV cameras, intensifying criminal activities and complicated investigations.

According to the police, inadequate streetlights have created problems in investigating criminal incidents. Recently, the Nepal Electricity Authority cut off most of the streetlight lines and removed some lights altogether citing that the power tariff was not paid. The city which previously had over 1,000 streetlights is now largely shrouded in darkness.

The municipality owes the NEA about Rs. 50 million for streetlights. Currently, some main intersections are equipped with high-mast lights while other areas have solar lights. According to municipality data, there are 24 high-mast lights and around 200 solar lights, primarily placed in the inner markets and alleys.

However, during the rainy season, solar lights fail to charge, causing most of them to be non-functional. Consequently, Birendranagar remains dark at night despite being a provincial capital. 

District Police Office’s Information Officer and Police Inspector Birendra Bir Bishwokarma informed that inadequate streetlights had significantly hampered security at night. He said, “In the darkness, the possibility of theft in alleys increases and it becomes difficult to identify people in cases of disputes or robbery. Even placing CCTV cameras without proper lighting is of little use.” 

He added, “Investigating criminal incidents at night is extremely challenging without lighting and there are issues with the connections for CCTV cameras.” He said that the 92 CCTV cameras installed in the city, some of which are non-functional, were insufficient.

The municipality lacks a proper budget for maintenance and the removal of lights has increased the risk of road accidents. 

Khadga Bahadur KC, head of the municipal supplies branch, said that payments must be made before reconnecting the streetlights. He said that the municipality had not made any payments for the electricity to date. 

Senior officer Prakash Paudel said that the central government had approved revenue matching, but now, the non-payment had led to the cutting of lines and removal of lights. 

Chief Administrative Officer Krishna Prasad Jaisi said that preparations were underway to advance the tender process for installing streetlights. He said that the streetlights would be installed especially from Dhuliyabati to Bangesimal on the main road, with an allocated budget of around Rs. 6 million. 

He said, “Currently, there are some streetlights in Pipirama and work is going on to illuminate the main road. Efforts are also being made for maintenance. If the work progresses as planned, the municipality aims to install the streetlights before Dashain.” 

However, the unresolved issue of arrears remains a problem. If the streetlights are not operational by Dashain, the police have indicated that security challenges in the market during the festival period will increase.