LED streetlights go defunct in many ULBs across Telangana

LED streetlights in several municipalities have gone defunct following the expiry of EESL maintenance contracts, triggering public complaints ahead of civic polls. Financial constraints, manpower shortages and pending government dues have worsened maintenance issues across urban local bodies.

Hyderabad: Due to poor maintenance and lethargy on the part of the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) department, LED streetlights in many municipalities and municipal corporations have gone defunct.

Apart from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), complaints about non-functioning streetlights are pouring in from several urban local bodies (ULBs), particularly after the agreement with Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) for installation, operation and maintenance expired in many of them.

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With municipal elections scheduled on Wednesday, the functioning of LED streetlights has become a topic of debate in several ULBs.

Under the agreement with EESL, around 17 lakh LED streetlights were installed in 140 ULBs across the State. Of these, the EESL agreement for installation, operation and maintenance of streetlights in 73 ULBs expired in September 2025, while it ended in April 2025 in GHMC limits. The contract is still applicable in 67 ULBs across the State.

Accordingly, the operation and maintenance of 8.9 lakh streetlights in 73 ULBs has come under scrutiny. Following complaints from various sections, MAUD officials attempted stop-gap arrangements to ensure proper maintenance and even roped in a few agencies to take up the work. However, the outcome of these initiatives has not yielded the desired results.

Financial constraints, limited manpower and lack of adequate government backing are learnt to be the main reasons for the poor maintenance of LED infrastructure in the State.

The LED streetlight project, which led to an annual peak power saving of approximately 193 MW, also aided in the reduction of carbon emissions by 0.81 million tonnes. GHMC alone saved nearly Rs.80 crore annually on electricity bills.

There is also uncertainty over the maintenance of LED streetlights in the 27 ULBs that have been merged with GHMC. Further, the State government is yet to clear about Rs.350 crore in dues payable to EESL.