Some 13,000 street lights
illuminate Ulaanbaatar every night. They are the responsibility of the Electric
Transportation Company and Illumination and Decoration Company, which receive
MNT 180 million each on average a year from the city budget.

There is now a demand that
their contract should be canceled if they do not improve their technology. The
city, it is felt, needs new management, technology and standards to ensure
well-lit streets.

The Mayor has likened street
lights to TV sets, in that people always want new technology, and has set up a
working group comprising all district governors to study the issue.

As they prepare their
report, the Mayor has decided the city administration will install high quality
street lights in Peace Avenue and has told the two companies to improve their
performance if they wish to keep their contract.