More than 40,000 streetlights dysfunctional across Chennai, reveals GCC survey

CHENNAI: A recent survey conducted by the Greater Chennai Corporation has shed light on a major public infrastructure issue in which more than 41,000 streetlights across the city are not in working condition.

According to a report in The Hindu, the study provided a detailed zone-wise breakdown which revealed that the central region accounted for nearly half of the failures with 19,816 defective units. The north and south regions followed with 10,937 and 9,935 faulty lights.

With thousands of dysfunctional lights, several key areas like Mount Road, Rajiv Gandhi Salai, T Nagar, Guindy, Shenoy Nagar and Saidapet in the city have plunged into darkness. Residents in these areas pointed out that many streetlights were leaning dangerously and could collapse at any moment.

Following complaints that several roads lack the basic infrastructure, the civic body is undertaking a large-scale replacement initiative. Corporation officials said that tenders have been finalized for new LED fittings that come with a two-year warranty.

As part of the project, thousands of new lights will be installed across all regions with the North zone installation set for at Rs 9.3 crores and the central zone set for Rs 9.4 crores.