Locals and commuters on several key arterial stretches of the city have raised concerns over non-functional or missing streetlights leading to safety concerns during foggy conditions when visibility drops.
According to commuters, several major roads in the city lack functional streetlights, including the Gurugram-Faridabad road which is a key stretch connecting the two Delhi-NCR cities, MG Road, the Tulip Road corridor from Sectors 69 to 72 and main sector roads along the Dwarka Expressway.
Nitin Kakkar, a regular commuter on the Gurugram–Faridabad Road, said that only a few streetlights are functional along the stretch, leaving most of the road in darkness. “This is a key arterial road connecting two cities with heavy traffic from both sides. During foggy conditions, driving becomes extremely difficult,” he said.
“This stretch is particularly unsafe for women travelling alone, especially at night due to poor lighting,” he added.
Several videos, verified by HT, showing the poorly lit stretch have gone viral on social media, raising serious questions about commuter safety, with many users flagging the issue of streetlights.
Charandeep Rana, executive engineer at Public Works Department (PWD), said that while the Gurugram–Faridabad Road comes under their department, the responsibility of managing the streetlights falls under the jurisdiction of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG).
Satyabir Singh Rohilla, public relations officer (PRO) of MCG, said that the maintenance of streetlights falls under PWD instead of MCG.
Residents and commuters said that several sector-dividing roads lack adequate lighting, including the Sector 102/102A dividing road, the stretch connecting sectors 103 to 106, sectors 106 to 109, and the road between sectors 99A and 102, where streetlights are either non-functional or entirely missing.
Sunil Sareen, a resident of Sector 102, said that the Sector 102A-103 dividing road also requires the installation of new streetlights and repair of existing ones. “With a hospital nearing completion in the area, traffic is expected to increase significantly, making this a busy route. Installing proper street lighting here is essential,” he said.
“While the Sector 102A-103 dividing road is maintained by Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), streetlights are under Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP). Whenever we raise the matter of streetlights, both the departments shift the blame on each other, leaving the residents to suffer” he added.
Aarti Shukla, a resident of Sector 99, also emphasised on the need for functional streetlights on key sector roads. “My car broke down on the Sector 99A stretch connecting to Dwarka Expressway. It was around 7.30 pm, and while I called a family member and a mechanic, the absence of streetlights made the wait terrifying. Those 20 minutes felt like a nightmare. Streetlights are essential, especially for the safety of women,” she said while recalling a recent incident.
Gyan Chand, sub divisional officer at HSVP, said, “80 per cent of the streetlights are in working condition. However, the rest of the streetlights will be repaired soon.” Chand said that installation of new streetlights falls under GMDA jurisdiction.
While, a senior official at GMDA said, “Presently the installation is only happening on sectors 68-80. Installation in further sectors will be taken up after discussion with the concerned agency.”
Meanwhile, on Tulip Road, from Sector 69 to 72, streetlights either flicker or provide low illumination. RK Jaiswal, a resident of Sector 69, said, “The lights are so dim that they serve no real purpose. When we raise the issue, civic authorities claim the streetlights are operational, but even if they are, the roads remain poorly lit and unsafe.”
Chand said, “We have acknowledged the issue and will be taking necessary steps to solve the issue. We will try to repair the streetlights which are emitting lower illumination.”
Meanwhile, the “My Gurugram application”, which is developed by GMDA, showed that streetlights were offline in several parts of the city, including sectors 4, 10, 10A, 31, 34, 38, 44, 45, 46, 47, 51, 56, Udyog Vihar, DLF Phase 2, Phase 3 and Sikanderpur.