Mysuru: The erratic functioning of street lights on 42-km long Outer-Ring-Road (ORR) stretch has caught the attention of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who has directed the officials to fix the issues at the earliest.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah presided over the District Progress Review meeting at the Zilla Panchayat hall in the city on Friday.

“The issues surrounding the street lights, that remain non-functional on some stretches of the ORR should be addressed at the earliest,” said CM Siddaramaiah, who however lost his cool over the works on service road alongside ORR remaining incomplete yet.

The CM asked the officials for the reasons behind the delay in completing the service road, to which the Executive Engineer of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which is the custodian of ORR, attributed the delay to the pending litigations (legal disputes) pertaining to ownership of the land.

Social Welfare Minister Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa, also the District Minister, intervened and said there was no legal disputes as such. “The disputes were solved during my previous stint as PWD Minister. It would be better to start the works,” he said, taking exception to the clarification of NHAI Executive Engineer.

Speaking to Star of Mysore, Deputy Commissioner G. Lakshmikanth Reddy said “Within three days, we will complete the works related to replacing defunct bulbs in the street lights on ORR, along with fixing the electric line. Prior to that, the ORR will be inspected to take note of the remaining issues to be addressed. Meanwhile, Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) that is tasked with the maintenance works of street lights has already invited tenders.”

It may be mentioned that, ORR which was built to ease traffic congestion in the interior roads of the city, had plunged into dark recently, due to non-functioning of the street lights. Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) and the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA), had installed LED lights along the Road at an estimated cost of Rs. 12 crore. Over 4,800 bulbs had been installed on more than 2,000 electric poles, that had come in handy for the hassle-free movement of vehicles.

However, of late due to lack of adequate lighting facility, there were complaints of unruly lot taking advantage, dumping sacks of waste on the ORR stretch. It had also given rise to petty crimes, with innocents being vulnerable to robberies.