Fenaka Corporation Limited has granted local councils an extension to bring street lights up to safety standards.
Fenaka has inspected street lights across all the islands to ensure safety, following a tragic incident that took the life of an individual after being electrocuted by an electrical leak from a street light in Ungoofaaru, Raa Atoll. The incident occurred as he tried to rescue a child playing in the water.
The inspection revealed that many street lights did not meet the required safety standards. As such, Fenaka informed the councils that electricity would only be supplied to street lights that comply with the Utility Regulatory Authority (URA) standards. The announcement was made on June 9, with an initial deadline set for June 27 for the councils to replace their street lights to meet URA standards.
Speaking at a press conference, Managing Director of Fenaka Muaz Mohamed Rasheed said that the councils had been given a deadline to ensure street lights were safe. He, however, said that the deadline has been extended for another month as many councils needed more time to meet the standards.
Additionally, Muaz explained that the extension has now expired, but the deadline has been extended once more until August 21, as the councils still require additional time. He also emphasised that no further extensions will be granted, and after the deadline, electricity service will be cut off for street lights that do not comply with URA standards.
Furthermore, Muaz said that 144 islands have been identified with street lights violating URA standards. Previously, Fenaka announced that, as a precautionary measure, only sub-DB installed lights meeting safety standards according to the company's sample drawings would be supplied with electricity. The company also offered to install free sub-DBs in street lights if the councils provided the materials within the given deadline.