Streetlights on the blink in south Delhi, survey identifies 2,557 dark spots

The survey found the maximum number of such spots in the south and Najafgarh zones while the situation was relatively better in the west zone. The report said 786 streetlights were found non-functional in the south zone, 734 in Najafgarh zone, 670 in central zone and 367 in the west zone.

A 25-day long joint survey by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), the power department, residents welfare associations and municipal councillors has identified 2,557 dark spots in south Delhi, arising out of non-operational streetlights.

Several municipal councillors have also highlighted the higher dysfunctional rate of LED lamps during the monsoon season. (Ravi Choudhary/HT PHOTO)

Several municipal councillors have also raised the issue of dark spots arising from non-functional streetlights in house meetings and have highlighted the higher dysfunctional rate of LED lamps during the monsoon season.

The survey found the maximum number of such spots in the south and Najafgarh zones while the situation was relatively better in the west zone.

The report said 786 streetlights were found non-functional in the south zone, 734 in Najafgarh zone, 670 in central zone and 367 in the west zone.

Ved Pal, municipal councillor from Aya Nagar ward, who raised the issue in the councillors’ meeting, said the rate of malfunctioning streetlights has increased threefold during the monsoon season. “Around 190-200 streetlights are still currently dysfunctional, which adversely impact public safety in these areas. There are issues related to accumulation of carbon on the filament and chips of the lamp unit,” he said.

The issue of dark spots arising from malfunctioning streetlights was raised by the leader of the house Inderjeet Sehrawat in the last standing committee meeting. He said maintenance is very poor and each ward has over 50 dark spots due to non-operational streetlights.

Sehrawat said the electronic chips of streetlights were faulty and replacements were not available. “The situation is now gradually improving,” he added.

A senior south corporation official, however, insisted that only a very small percentage of streetlights was faulty and regular night patrolling is being carried out to identify such dark spots.

Dr Kalpana Vishwanath, founder of Safetipin,an organisation working on issues related to dark spots and women safety, said Delhi has made significant strides in developing infrastructure for ensuring women safety and reduction of dark spots but this needs to be turned into an institutional process.

“It cannot be a one-time thing. We should carry out regular audits and develop a system to incorporate regular checks. Besides the reduction of dark spots, we should also focus on improving last mile connectivity and infrastructure. Safety audits should be an ongoing process and community feedback must be taken,” she said.