Bishkek, February 16 / Kabar /. On February 17, the U.S. Government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), will award a $244,675 grant to the Osh Municipality to improve street lights in the city. The press service of the US Embassy in Bishkek reports.
The June 2010 violence damaged private and public infrastructure across Osh City. According to municipal officials in Osh, broken street lights have negatively affected public security, increased criminal activity during the evening hours, and impeded the city’s recovery efforts. USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) will support the procurement of new street lamps and transformers to rehabilitate 1,500 street lights along 51.1 km of roads and will reestablish street light service for 268,111 multi-ethnic residents. The Osh municipality is also contributing over $290,000, which will be used to procure poles and provide labor and equipment for the installation of new street lights. In addition to addressing the safety and security of Osh residents, this joint activity will stimulate the local economy by procuring labor and materials locally, and help to build confidence among the city's diverse population.
At the end of last year, USAID and the Jalalabad municipal authorities completed a similar project in Jalalabad. As a result of new street lights, Jalalabad registered a 5% reduction in crime according to the Ministry of Interior, and a 12% increase in tax revenues according to the Mayor’s Office.