The Chandigarh administration has planned to install street lights worth ₹1.95 crore in southern sectors. The project will cover multiple sector-dividing stretches along Vikas Marg, including 39/56, 55/40, 54/41, 53/42, 52/43, 51/44, 50/45, 49/46 and 48/47, aiming to illuminate long-neglected cycle track corridors used by pedestrians and cyclists.
The engineering department floated tenders for the same on Friday, with June 26 as the last day to submit bids. Once the contract is awarded, the contractor will have to complete the work within four months, the tender document states.
Snatching concerns
Several snatching incidents targeting pedestrians and bicyclists have been reported in the past. In March this year in Sector 56, a man walking home was intercepted by unidentified persons who stepped out of a car, took his belongings and disappeared into the night.
Last year, on a cycle track near Sector 39, a passerby was confronted by men who pressed what appeared to be a pistol, later found to be a toy, against him during an attempted robbery, underscoring how isolated, low-visibility stretches have been used to stage such crimes.
Chandigarh’s cycle tracks, spanning over 200 kilometres, were originally designed as a safe, segregated network for cyclists and pedestrians. However, in the southern sectors, these tracks run parallel to wide roads but cut through low-footfall, tree-lined belts, residential backwalls, vacant plots, and, in some stretches, forested patches, which after dusk fall into near-complete darkness.
{{/usCountry}}Chandigarh’s cycle tracks, spanning over 200 kilometres, were originally designed as a safe, segregated network for cyclists and pedestrians. However, in the southern sectors, these tracks run parallel to wide roads but cut through low-footfall, tree-lined belts, residential backwalls, vacant plots, and, in some stretches, forested patches, which after dusk fall into near-complete darkness.
{{/usCountry}}Police records and recent incidents indicate that offenders are not choosing locations randomly. Instead, they appear to be exploiting predictable conditions—poor lighting, sparse pedestrian movement, and quick escape routes toward Mohali and adjoining areas.
In early May this year, Chandigarh Police recorded four snatching incidents within 24 hours, involving pedestrians and cyclists, with several cases falling under the jurisdiction of Sector 39 police station, further highlighting the vulnerability of the southern corridor.
The lack of adequate illumination on cycle tracks has long been flagged as a gap in Chandigarh’s urban mobility infrastructure. Across several stretches of Vikas Marg, light poles are either missing or unevenly spaced, existing fixtures are non-functional or obscured by foliage, and large segments remain unlit after sunset, conditions that significantly reduce visibility and deter night-time use.