TENAGA Nasional Bhd has been told to expedite the repair of street lamps, especially in rural areas in the Bagan constituency to reduce snatch theft cases.  Bagan Dalam assemblyman P.K. Subbaiyah said many residents claimed that TNB and the Seberang Prai Municipal Council were slow to react to their complaints.

“The authorities concerned should take days and not months to process the applications for new streetlights as well as to repair the faulty ones. There are still many poorly-lit areas such as Hujung Batu, Lorong Kubor and Kampung Benggali in my area,” he said after launching Malaysian Red Crescent Society (MRCS) Butterworth’s 24-hour ambulance services for the Chinese New Year festival recently.

Subbaiyah said TNB and the council should have a more effective system to check the street lamps to ensure faulty ones were attended to immediately.

Bagan Jermal assemblyman Ooi Chuan Aik said many of the pole numbers on the lampposts in his area have faded, while some were defaced by stickers pasted by ah longs (moneylenders).

“The police too have acknowledged that many snatch theft cases have occurred in dark places,” he said.

Earlier, Ooi said 300 members in the state would go on 24-hour standby in Permatang Tinggi, Butterworth and Air Itam till Monday.

“They will work three shifts with 72 members on duty per shift with eight ambulances on the alert.

“Last year, the MRCS attended to 95 accident cases during last Chinese New Year,” he said.

Ooi also said Subbaiyah and he would raise RM30,000 to resurface an open space next to the MRCS Butterworth office in Jalan St Mark for the organisation to conduct training and emergency operations.

The public can call the MRCS offices at 04-588 0088 (Permatang Tinggi) for accidents in Central and South Seberang Prai, 04-323 3323 (Butterworth) for accidents in North Seberang Prai and the Penang Bridge and 04-827 5678 (Air Itam) for accidents on the island.

—By DERRICK VINESH, The Star Online (North)