Bhopal’s street light crisis deepens:25,000 lights shut; complaints surge amid metro and NHAI work

Of Bhopal’s 62,000 street lights, nearly 25,000 are out of order, leaving hardly any area in the city with a fully functional lighting system. The situation in the state capital is considered the worst, with 1,780 complaints related to street lights registered on the CM Helpline this year, compared to just 158 in Indore. Officials say around 10,000 lights are non-functional due to ongoing construction work, while more than 15,000 have stopped working because of other reasons. For the past three years, maintenance has largely remained a formality. Due to Metro and National Highway projects, street lights on several major roads are completely shut, while in many localities, lights have not been switched on for a long time.
Major roads plunge into darkness 1780 complaints in last 4 months, 300 more than last year Written instructions have been given Sanskriti Jain, Commissioner of Municipal Corporation, says, A large number of street lights are off due to construction work and other reasons. The construction agency has been continuously given written instructions to arrange street lights temporarily. Where there are no street lights or new ones are needed, the tender process is underway. Wherever street lights are faulty, they will be repaired. Smart City, Municipal Corporation passing the buck to each other
A year-old dispute exists between Smart City and the Municipal Corporation regarding the maintenance of street lights. Despite Smart City CEO Anju Arun Kumar being given the responsibility for the corporation’s street lights, complaints have not decreased. Street lights have been off in New Market for four days. When traders complained, the corporation called it a Smart City matter. Smart City sent it back to the corporation. Street light dispute delays repairs
In areas where construction, like roads or metros, is underway, there’s a unique kind of dispute regarding street lights. When a complaint is made to the corporation, it’s said that the construction agency is responsible for the arrangements, but the construction agency doesn’t take responsibility.