Hyderabad streets plunge into darkness after nightfall
The lack of streetlights and bad road stretches make life harrowing for road users, especially two-wheeler riders
Hyderabad: Several thoroughfares in the city are plunged into darkness after nightfall as the streetlights are not glowing. The pitch-dark roads are not only slowing down the traffic movement but also putting the lives of two-wheeler riders at risk.
Several thoroughfares in the city including those in Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills, Goshamahal, Puranapul, Khairatabad, King Kothi, Sultan Bazaar, Siddiamber Bazaar, Charminar, Kalapather, Misrigunj, Noor Khan Bazaar, Kanchanbagh and other areas are unlit.
These stretches witness heavy traffic flow till late in the night and the absence of street lights is causing a lot of problems for the motorists, particularly the two-wheeler riders. The bad road conditions on several stretches are compounding the problems.
“We would have managed if road conditions were better and there were no street lights. But at many places, the roads are in a bad state, and with no street lights it is causing a lot of problems and safety concerns,” complained Sridhar N, a resident of Chintal Basthi in Khairatabad. “Two-wheeler riders have to negotiate the unlit road at dead speed for fear of accidents. Despite complaints, the authorities failed to repair and illuminate the Musalam Jung Bridge stretch,” complained Syed Rizwan, a resident of Hussaini Alam.
The GHMC call centre is receiving numerous complaints from residents about street lights not functioning in their neighbourhood. However, the local officials cannot do much about it. A local corporator, from the old city said that there is no material at the stores. “The contract workers were not paid salaries for over a year so many of them stopped attending work. We have raised the issue in the GHMC Council Meeting but it did not make any difference,” he pointed out.
There are roughly 5.50 lakh street lights installed across the city and the company EESL was entrusted with the task of installing the LED lights and maintenance. However, as the corporation did not pay the bills there were delays in payment to the contractors and labourers due to which they stopped working.
When contacted senior officials of the GHMC electrical wing, said the issue with the company entrusted with the task of maintenance of street lights was sorted out after the involvement of the higher-ups of the GHMC and MA&UD. “The workers have started attending to the complaints for the last two to three days. The pending grievances are being attended to on a war footing. Within a short time the citizens can see the difference,” he assured.