City Roads Left In Darkness As Street Lights Fail
Over 30% of street lights in Hyderabad’s CURE area are reportedly dysfunctional or dim, raising concerns over road safety and maintenance.
Dysfunctional street lights have plunged several parts of the city into darkness, with municipal officials confirming that over 30 per cent of the lights in the Core Urban Region Economy (CURE) area are either not working or provide very dim illumination.
The stark contrast became evident when authorities installed additional lights along Ganesh procession routes. For the first time in months, some city roads were reasonably illuminated.
Elsewhere, commuters say traversing even prime roads has become a challenge due to poor lighting. Flyovers too remain dimly lit. Ironically, the street lights on the recently inaugurated Chanchalguda–Santoshnagar steel flyover, spanning 3.32 km, are dysfunctional along half its length. The Shaikpet flyover is another example, with only 30 per cent of its stretch illuminated.
Several commuters said they are forced to drive at reduced speed and switch between high and low beams. “We are switching from high beams to low beams on the roads to alert other drivers,” said Valluri Sharma, a resident of Manikonda who frequently uses the Shaikpet flyover.
Areas where street lights are dysfunctional or provide poor illumination include the KBR Park walkway, Road No. 45 in Jubilee Hills, Kukatpally Main Road, the Manikonda–Narsingi road via Puppalaguda, Hyderguda–Basheer Bagh Road and the Chanchalguda–Dabeerpura stretch. A motorist on the Hyderguda–Basheer Bagh Road said poorly lit stretches are especially dangerous during monsoon. “If roads are waterlogged and the stretch doesn’t have illumination, they pose a threat to motorists,” he said.
Officials admit the problem stems from lack of dedicated staff to maintain the Centralised Control and Monitoring System (CCMS) of street lights. It has been over a year since the street light contract with Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) ended. Since then, staff from the electrical wings of the Corporations have been maintaining the lights, with a few vendors formerly engaged by EESL hired temporarily.
According to officials of the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) Department, tenders have now been floated for street lights in the CURE area.