Over 1,000 street light complaints in September, 438 pending: PWD data

Residents across several parts of Delhi have raised concerns over non-functional street lights, inadequate illumination and the potential risks to public safety, particularly for women and commuters travelling after sunset.

From East Arjun Nagar to Rohini, East of Kailash and the road connecting the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences to Guru Tegh Bahadur (GTB) Hospital, complaints highlight recurring problems with street lighting, with residents calling for urgent intervention by the authorities.

In East Arjun Nagar, Chander, a resident, has called for the immediate installation and repair of street lights near an apartment complex, describing the area as crime-prone.

“East Arjun Nagar, the area near the apartments, is crime-prone and requires proper street lighting immediately. Tree branches have already covered the inadequate lighting, and many poles have been out of order for four years. Women are not safe after sunset. Please take action,” he had tweeted on September 24.

Many of these complaints that the PWD and associated agencies take cognisance of are conveyed mostly through posts on X or the helplines of the respective departments.

Dysfunctional street lights

Residents have also raised concerns about the lack of functioning street lights along the road beside the drain connecting Sectors 11 and 25 in Rohini.

“Steel poles for street lights have been installed along the road from Sector 11 to Sector 25 in Rohini, but I have never seen the lights working. Several accidents have occurred involving motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians. When will the lights be switched on? Can you provide an update?” another user had complained, on September 25.

In South Delhi’s Captain Gaur Marg, East of Kailash, multiple complaints have been received over the years regarding a lack of efficient lighting.

“There are no street lights on Captain Gaur Marg. We have tried to tell the authorities about the problems and the regular safety-security issues that we have been facing for so long a time. This is not even our first complaint,” said Vivek Sarang, a resident.

“The street lights and high-mast lights have not been working for six months. This is an accident-prone and snatching-prone area. Please look into the matter,” a complainant had said in another tweet on September 29, referring to areas near GTB Hospital, while emphasising the risks associated with prolonged darkness on a road used by commuters travelling towards the medical facility.

According to PWD Deputy Secretary MK Nikhil completed works are not always updated on the portal immediately. “We have completed most of the works against which we received complaints. Sometimes it happens that records aren’t immediately updated after the works are done,” he said.

Another PWD official said, “These are routine complaints from the public. We respond promptly to complaints about roads and street lights, including potholes, missing lights, damaged bulbs and damaged poles, and usually resolve them within two to three days.”

Smart Street Light Project

Delhi is meanwhile set to replace 20,000 old and dysfunctional street lights with smart LED lights by Diwali, with a centralised control room set to monitor each light in real time and detect faults without waiting for residents to lodge complaints.

The rollout is part of the PWD’s Smart Street Light Project, under which a lakh old street lights across the Capital are to be replaced by January 2027.

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A Command and Control Centre at the department headquarters will continuously monitor the functioning of the lights and allow officials to identify faulty or non-functional lights remotely.