Thieves leave town in the dark

Thieves leave town in the dark

TANGERANG: An official blamed thieves for the absence of
street lighting in many neighborhoods in Tangerang in the past
year, which has irked taxpayers.

Endrawiyanto, an official at the municipal public works agency
said on Tuesday that many street lamps were stolen, but none of
the culprits had ever been arrested, making the administration
reluctant to replace the lamps.

"But we plan to install the lamps in locked iron casing to
prevent them from being stolen again. We also ask the cooperation
of residents to watch out for thieves...there will be rewards for
those who able to catch the street lamp thieves red-handed," he
said.

The neighborhoods that are currently without street lighting
are, among others, Mutiara Pluit, Najar Wijaya, Perumnas, Modern
Land, Cimone Mas Permai, and Vila Regensi Tangerang housing
complexes.

Many street lamps on several main roads such as Jl. Sudirman,
Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan, Jl. Raya Bayur, Jl. KS Tubun, Jl. Raden
Saleh are also broken.

Three percent of Jakartans monthly electricity bill is
allocated for the maintenance of street lighting. The
administration received Rp 34 billion (US$4 million) for street
lighting in 2003 and has targeted Rp 37.5 billion from this
year's revenue. -- JP