Residents on a number of roads with old sodium vapour lamps have complained about safety issues caused by poor illumination.
According to estimates by the Chennai Corporation, at least 80,000 streetlights have to be improved in the city by commissioning better LED streetlights. Owing to inadequate funds, the proposal estimated at ₹145 crore is yet to see the light of the day.
A.K. Sridharan, a resident of R.K. Shanmugam Salai in K.K. Nagar, says many roads in his neighbourhood have become very dangerous for women and children, who go out in the evenings. “The Chennai Corporation has to improve streetlights immediately,” he points out.
Residents of stretches such as Anna Main Road and Lakshmanasamy Salai and in various sectors of the area have also reported poor street lighting for the past few months.
Even as residents complained, Chennai Corporation officials said the civic body has increased the number of streetlights from 2.38 lakh to 2.77 lakh, primarily in added areas such as Tiruvottiyur, Manali, Madhavaram, Ambattur, Valasaravakkam, Alandur, Perungudi and Sholinganallur.
Added areas benefited
According to sources in the Corporation, during the implementation of the project to commission 1.1 lakh streetlights, the Corporation replaced thousands of old streetlights in the added areas, but failed to replace many in the old city limits. The newly added areas had only 88,000 streetlights, most of which were also non-functional. Such streetlights were replaced and the work was over, said a official of the civic body.
Chain-snatchings under the cover of darkness were reported in some localities. Complaints of poor lighting leading to road accidents were also received from residents of added areas by the Corporation. “The number of complaints in 1913 has reduced in the added areas. We have to shift the focus to the old city limits now. More LED streetlights have to be installed,” said an official. The civic body will also prune trees and change the height of the existing streetlights to improve lighting.
