Street lights cry for attention in Gurugram

A spot check by HT on Sunday covering a 15-kilometre radius within Gurugram uncovered alarming conditions on key roads

The existing infrastructure of street lights on Gurugram roads have not undergone any significant inspection or maintenance for over a decade, posing a safety risk and leading to fatal accidents in the city.

Electricity poles in the residential area of Sector 11 in Gurugram. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

Due to lack of repair and replacement, around 80% of the street lights in the city are lying in poor condition, with broken panels, exposed wires and rusted poles that pose a danger to public safety, the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) officials said on Monday.

A spot check by HT on Sunday covering a 15-kilometre radius within the city uncovered alarming conditions on key roads in several areas, including Shivaji Nagar, Madanpuri, Pataudi Road, Mor Chowk, Civil Lines, Ardee City, Malibu Town, Sector-10 and Sector-9A. Many poles in these areas have been standing for 20 to 25 years without any upgrade, leading to structural weakness, and thereby posing risk to safety.

MCG commissioner Narhari Singh Bangar said that they have floated at least 10 tenders to replace poles and panels of street lights. “Some of the non-functional street lights are being changed. The officials have been given a deadline to ensure that the remaining lights are operational. Considering public safety, I also emphasised to the officials that streetlights are crucial in preventing accidents, especially during winter when visibility drops due to fog,” he said.

However, MCG officials said they tried to raised concerns about the project with EESL and solve it, but could not reach a consensus.

Accidents due to poor maintenance

In 2017, MCG outsourced a private agency with the task of replacing 80,000 street lights across the city at an estimated cost of ₹100 crore. However, the contract did not cover the replacement of aging poles and wiring, which remain largely untouched. This oversight has already led to tragic consequences, with three fatalities reported due to electrocution from exposed wires on street light poles.

To compound the issue, MCG’s recent attempts to address the problem have been plagued by inefficiency and oversight. In November 2023, two private agencies were given contracts to repair the street lights, but these agencies accepted the tender at a 40% loss, leading to subpar work. Instead of replacing damaged wires or panel boxes, the agencies merely performed temporary fixes, often ignoring the root causes of the malfunctions.

Lack of supervision and accountability

According to regulations, street lights along city roads and alleys should be inspected annually by junior engineers (JEs) and sub-divisional officers (SDOs). These officials are responsible for identifying and rectifying problems, issuing notices to agencies in case of negligence, and imposing fines if necessary. However, investigation revealed that such inspections have not been conducted consistently, leading to a lack of accountability and continued hazards.

Vijay Shiv Nath, president of the Malibu Towne RWA Floors, said that many of the street lights are not working in the society due to fault in cable work or fused lights.

“With the township spanning over 204acres, it is a herculean task for RWA to keep them in order. It has been close to 10 months that the last contract was given by MCG in our area to repair street light. All the street lights are being maintained by us, including repair of cables and change of lights. Recently, we were informed that a tender has been approved by MCG for changing all street lights and cables. We hope this will be done soon,” he said.

“All street lights in the city that are over 20 years old will be replaced. Inspections are conducted periodically to ensure safety, and any negligence found results in notices and fines to the responsible agencies. We have already floated tenders for areas such as Sector 30-31. Ardee City and Malibu Town,” said Praveen Dalal, executive engineer, MCG.

Financial, structural challenges ahead

Upgrading Gurugram’s street light infrastructure is expected to cost between ₹12 crore and ₹15 crore. The city currently has over 80,000 street lights under the MCG’s jurisdiction, covering 100km of roadways. Despite the availability of funds, the challenge lies in ensuring that the necessary audits and upgrades are carried out effectively and without further delays.