Road safety push: LMC plans 3,000 smart streetlights

The move is aimed at addressing safety concerns arising from poorly lit roads and residential stretches, officials said, adding the new system would allow real-time monitoring of streetlights, enabling engineers to detect faults instantly and initiate repairs without waiting for public complaints. These new lights will be installed in areas which have been recently brought under the LMC jurisdiction.

In a technology-driven upgrade of civic infrastructure to tackle the long-standing problem of non-functional streetlights, the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) is planning to install about 3,000 smart lights at an estimated cost of ₹3 crore.

The streetlights will operate through a centralised control and monitoring system and be connected to the Lucknow Smart City Command and Control Centre. (For representation)

The streetlights will operate through a centralised control and monitoring system (CCMS) and be connected to the Lucknow Smart City Command and Control Centre, LMC chief engineer (electrical and mechanical) Manoj Prabhat said.

The move is aimed at addressing safety concerns arising from poorly lit roads and residential stretches, officials said, adding the new system would allow real-time monitoring of streetlights, enabling engineers to detect faults instantly and initiate repairs without waiting for public complaints. These new lights will be installed in areas which have been recently brought under the LMC jurisdiction.

Prabhat clarified that the existing LED streetlights will not be replaced as doing so would require substantial funding. Civic records show nearly 1,500 streetlights in the city are currently non-functional, largely due to maintenance lapses after the earlier private agency managing them withdrew. Plans have also been prepared to revive these lights.

Earlier in July 2025, HT had reported about the planned smart monitoring system. Civic officials had revealed that the new system would be equipped with SIM-enabled technology, allowing each streetlight to send live updates about its functionality to a centralised platform accessible by LMC teams.