Hyderabad: Dysfunctional streetlights throw many parts of city into darkness

Hyderabad: Commuting through dark stretches has become a daily affair as large number of streetlights remain dysfunctional, rue Hyderabadis. The deluge of complaints reaching the officials stands as a testimony to this menace as the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) officials identified around 1,000 dark spots and proposed to install streetlights and electric poles, but all these proposals only remain on papers. The Civic body receives around 6,500 complaints regarding streetlights in a year.

There is a need of the concerned department to tackle the issue at the earliest in order to avoid any untoward incidents. "I feel unsafe to commute in the area as almost all the streetlights are dysfunctional. What's the use of having CCTV cameras when the roads are only not properly illuminated?" asked Sneha, a student at a centre in Yousufguda.

"In these dark stretches, pedestrians as well as commuters find it difficult to pass the area. Chasing of dogs and anti-social elements have increased due to lack of lights," said Shashank, a resident of Kukatpally.

This issue has been identified in Lakdikapul, Nampally, Lower Tank Bund, Road Number 12 Banjara Hills, Tolichowki, Shaikpet flyover route, Jubilee Hills check post, Sanathnagar, Masab Tank, Kukatpally, Santosh Nagar, Saidabad, Malakpet, Dilsukhnagar, Yousufguda, Falaknuma and several other areas in the city.

Anil Neelam, a resident of Mallepally said that the streetlights here have remained dysfunctional for several weeks. Despite several complaints and messages through social media and representation from the residents to the officials concerns, no steps have been taken to illuminate the area. Social activist Asif Hussain said that the streetlights remains dysfunctional due to the lack of proper integration with the Central Control and Monitoring System (CCMS) which controls these lights. While the officials claim that over 4 lakh streetlights in the city are functional, the ground reality is the opposite.

Commuters say that lack of proper illumination on roads has been leading to accidents at late nights. It will become a serious issue if complaints regarding streetlights are not resolved on priority basis.

Besides accidents, residents also complained of theft of two-wheelers. They rue that CCTV cameras are also of no use as there are no streetlights. "In these dark stretches, pedestrians as well as commuters find it difficult to pass and fear of being attacked by unknown miscreants. And in recent times few cases of snatching and theft were also reported," said Mohammed Ahmed, Vice President Minority Cell, TDP.

Moreover, about 15,000 LED streetlights were installed in GHMC's Charminar (south) zone. But a large chunk of them remain dysfunctional and fail to illuminate roads. There is a need to install more streetlights in inner lanes of colonies in the southern part of the city.