Concern over dark lanes, lack of streetlights in North Lakhimpur

By our Staff Reporter

Lakhimpur, August 28: A handful of streetlights will never solve the issue of safety in North Lakhimpur. Crimes like kidpping, pick-pocketing, rape, extortion, murder and eve-teasing take place in dark lanes and streets as the darkness provides a shelter for the crimil minds to bring their evil plans into action.

Roads like kari, the tiol Highway and the link roads of North Lakhimpur do not have a single street light. If one has to travel by these roads, one can notice groups of youngsters taking drugs in the dark corners or closed-down shops.

Last week, a police officer said that three cases of pick-pocketing had been recorded and during this year many kidppings have taken place in North Lakhimpur. Crimils roam in the dark lanes and roadways with the sole motive of committing a crime and escaping undetected. Lack of street lights has caused threat to safety and security of people, especially women and children.

“We have urged the police to increase patrol in areas without streetlights at night and pre-dawn hours. We have requested the authorities concerned many times to install streetlights in these lanes and roads. Yet these lanes and roads remain dark. When the sun sets, many groups of drug- addict youngsters resort to eve-teasing. As a woman we feel afraid and are fearful about our safety,” said Jahbi Bora, a local resident.

“The authorities can set up solar streetlights which are energy efficient and require less maintence. In this era of development, the district does not have street lights and people have to cry for basic civic facilities. Installing streetlights in all the lanes and roads can prevent many crimes. Many anti-social elements take the advantage of the dark lanes and roads to do many wrong things. Some consume alcohol and others take drugs. Therefore, setting up streetlights in North Lakhimpur district is of utmost importance,” a senior citizen said.