Faulty streetlights leave key Gurugram roads in darkness after dusk

Spot checks found poor illumination, broken barriers and missing signage across key roads despite regular maintenance claims.

Despite official claims of regular maintenance, several high-traffic stretches in Gurugram continue to face poor illumination due to non-functional streetlights and lack of pruning, affecting visibility and commuter safety during night hours, a spot check conducted last week found.

Broken streetlight on Hero Honda Chowk flyover, seen on Sunday. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

The inspection revealed that Maidawas Road, Rajesh Pilot Marg towards Ghata T-point, Gurugram-Faridabad Road and Suncity Road were among the darkest stretches in the city, including accident-prone zones where warning signages have been installed.

On Maidawas Road, nearly 20 to 30 streetlights were found non-functional along a 500-metre accident-prone stretch around 11pm on Friday. Residents said the problem has persisted for days.

“We haven’t seen lights come up since they last went off almost a week ago. Many times, pickup vans are parked along the road, increasing the risk of hit-from-behind accidents,” said Dinesh Kumar, a street vendor.

A similar situation was observed on Rajesh Pilot Marg towards Ghata, where a steep flyover with broken crash-prevention barriers had little to no visible illumination. Residents said commuting becomes hazardous at night.

At Ghata T-point, a key interchange between Gurugram and Faridabad, locals said illumination work has suffered due to a jurisdictional dispute between the Public Works Department (PWD) and civic bodies of both cities.

“The 3km stretch from the three-way intersection towards Aya Nagar extension mostly remains dark, with no proper signage on the stretch warning of accidents,” said Jeevananth Deepa, a daily commuter.

Sub-divisional engineer Rakesh Sharma of PWD said maintenance responsibility lies with municipal bodies. “While lights were installed from Gurugram towards Bakhri Road, letters issued to the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad (MCF) in March urged them to approve estimates of light installations on a 4 km stretch between Pali and the Crusher Zone area,” he said.

Sandeep Rana, an MCF area engineer, said the estimates are still under discussion. “Illumination proposals at service lanes along Sainik Colony remain stuck due to restoration charges demanded by the PWD,” the official added.

Other poorly lit stretches identified by residents include Khandsa to Sector 34/37 Road, Subhash Chowk to Hero Honda Chowk, and Begumpur Khatola to Khandsa.

“Several streetlights remain non-functional for weeks, and poor maintenance has left large portions of the stretches poorly lit. Many women in the area feel unsafe commuting after dark,” said Ritika, a resident of Sector 69.

According to Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) estimates, around 1% of the city’s 1.25 lakh streetlights remain faulty at any given time and are required to be repaired by private contractors within three days.

The issue was also discussed during the district road safety committee meeting, where pruning requirements on stretches such as Old Railway Road, Artemis, Wazirabad and Sector 29 were flagged. The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) was tasked with improving illumination from Signature Towers to Jharsa before the next meeting scheduled later this month.

“Repair work has been carried out on Jharsa Chowk flyover, with high-mast lights planned at Signature Towers and Rajiv Chowk’s service lanes in the coming weeks,” a senior official said.

A senior MCG official said rectification timelines vary depending on the fault. “Periodic maintenance is conducted on dim lights. Inspections are conducted routinely to flag faulty streetlights. Pruning work has been ordered on identified stretches,” the official said. GMDA officials added lights under their jurisdiction from sectors 68 to 80, covering 13.5km of road length, are monitored digitally through the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC).

Deputy commissioner of police (Traffic) Prateek Gehlot said illumination concerns are routinely communicated to civic bodies. “Traffic signages, streetlights, and road markings are among the basic yet crucial elements required to ensure commuter safety. Proper illumination will be integral to an upcoming active enforcement campaign,” Gehlot said.