A sky lift has been commissioned to the Madurai Corporation for its street light maintenance.

Inaugurating the facility on the Anna Maaligai campus, the head office of Madurai Corporation, on Thursday, Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan said that such modern and state-of-the-art gadgets were necessary for efficient management. He appealed to the workers to don safety equipment such as headgear and gloves while on duty.

Mayor Indrani Ponvasanth and Corporation Commissioner Simranjeet Singh Kehlon, who participated in the event, said the Corporation would procure three more sky lifts (hydraulic vehicles).

The city has 58,899 street lights across its 100 wards. In a bid to improve the quality and service of the functioning of the street lights, the Corporation had given 36,151 street lights to a private firm for upkeep.

Keeping in mind the need to save power and costs, controllers have been installed at 1,794 street lights, to bring them under an automatic system to turn on and off, officials said and added that a detailed project report (DPR) was being prepared for a street light monitoring system.

At a recent council meeting, many councillors pointed out poor functioning of street lights, especially in areas annexed to the corporation. Absence of street lights and dark roads resulted in crimes such as chain snatching and waylaying, besides thefts in houses, they alleged.

The Mayor had promised to look into the complaints, and as a first step, the functioning of street lights would be monitored from a control room to check defective ones. Residents can also call the ward office concerned or use the WhatsApp facility with a photograph of non-functioning lights and prompt action would be taken, the Mayor said.

The Finance Minister gave away uniforms, caps, and gadgets to the workers on the occasion in the presence of Madurai South MLA M. Boominathan, zone chairpersons Saravana Bhuvaneswari and Pandi Selvi, councillors, and officials from the Corporation.