Sokoto — The Sokoto State Urban and Regional Planning Board (SURBP) is to introduce solar powered street lights within the metropolis and undertake proper house numbering and street renaming.

Special Adviser in charge of the board, Alhaji Sanusi Tukur Faru who disclosed this yesterday while speaking on the activities of the board, said it had taken steps to revive streets lights in the state capital which he noted had been malfunctioning for long.

He said the solar street lights would serve as alternative to the electrical power source to the streets and that solar light would also be installed in the 32 roundabouts within Sokoto metropolis.

Alhaji Faru disclosed that the board had rehabilitated roundabouts in Sokoto metropolis and reactivated water supply in the round-abouts at the cost of N29 million.

He added that for proper refuse disposal, 100 skips and 10 skip carriers were constructed at the cost of N49m while six tractors were supplied at the cost of N20m.

The Special Adviser stated that the Board also clamped on some ille-gal structures at Guiwa, Nakasari, Sama road, Tsafe road and Arkila area of Sokoto metropolis and directed all the traders with illegal structures along some identified areas to vacate the areas and occupy the shops allocated to them at the Sokoto Central Market by the end of this month.

Alhaji Faru disclosed plans to embark on drainage construction in all the areas where drainage facilities are lacking and to rehabilitate all the outfall drainages in the metropolis.