Upperpally Road lights unrepaired for months, Residents demand action
Hyderabad: Residents along the road connecting Prakash Nagar to Upperpally Court in Hyderabad have raised concerns over the prolonged issue of non-functional streetlights. The streetlights in the area have been out of service for several months, creating a sense of insecurity for pedestrians and cyclists who frequently use the route.
The issue was highlighted by a citizen, known as TG Citizen on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), who posted about the ongoing darkness on the road. In his post, he pointed out that the area remains poorly lit, especially at night, which poses safety risks for cyclists and pedestrians. The tweet tagged various authorities, including M Dana Kishore, Principal Secretary of MAUD, the Zonal Commissioner of Charminar, and GHMC officials, urging them to address the issue.
Darkest road connecting #upperpally court
Unfortunately, many won’t show the reality though #cyclist or #pedestrian go through while passing through such roads, don’t know y @GHMCOnline not acting promptly
Venkanna Sir, kindly review @PrlsecyMAUD @ZC_Charminar @DCRajendraNaga1 https://t.co/xPI4u9GCMU pic.twitter.com/5BVlEBWvOs
— TGCitizen (@Citizen_TS) January 1, 2025
“Darkest road connecting #Upperpally Court. Unfortunately, many won’t show the reality though #cyclist or #pedestrian go through while passing through such roads. Don’t know why @GHMCOnline is not acting promptly,” he wrote. He also tagged Venkanna and other officials in his post, calling for immediate action.
In response, the GHMC official handle acknowledged the issue and assured that the matter had been forwarded to the concerned electrical team for resolution. “Dear Citizen, sorry for the inconvenience. We’ve noted the streetlight issue and informed the area AE (Electrical) team, EESL Zonal in-charge,” GHMC responded.
Dear Citizen, Sorry for the inconvenience. We’ve noted the street light issue and informed to the area AE (Electrical) team EESL Zonal incharge. @EESL_India @EESL_CZstligh
— GHMC (@GHMCOnline) January 1, 2025
This was not the first time the issue had been raised. Earlier, in September 2024, the same citizen had posted about the malfunctioning lights in the Utopia-Upperpally area, mentioning that despite GHMC’s preparations, the lights had remained non-functional for months. “It’s been months, still these lights at #Utopia #Upperpally where 1000’s of residents stay!” the post read.
TG Citizen, speaking anonymously to Hyderabad Mail, expressed frustration over the issue. “It’s like a virus spreading across the city, and officials are least bothered to fix the streetlight issues despite numerous complaints,” he said.
This is not an isolated case. Similar complaints have surfaced from other parts of the city, including Satavahana Nagar Colony in Kukatpally, where residents have been facing malfunctioning streetlights for several months. Residents in these areas have called for swift action from both GHMC and the Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), which handles streetlight maintenance.
Md Ibrahim Lala, a resident of Hafeezpet, criticized the slow pace of repairs, saying, “It takes about four weeks for GHMC workers to install streetlights. It’s been two weeks, and the lights are still not repaired.” Another resident, Sarojini Jainapur from Somajiguda Circle, shared a similar experience, mentioning that three streetlights had not been replaced since August 22, 2024.
The streetlight issue is widespread across Hyderabad, affecting areas such as Hitech City, Kukatpally Road, Raidurgam Metro, and the Hitech City flyover. Some lights have been non-functional for over six months, while others remain on during the day, raising safety concerns.
The problem has also highlighted financial issues between GHMC and EESL. GHMC currently owes EESL Rs. 144.48 crore in outstanding payments and an additional Rs. 57.10 crore in unpaid annuity payments for the last six months. EESL is responsible for maintaining around 5.48 lakh streetlights within GHMC limits and has called for tenders to install an additional 15,000 streetlights, which would add Rs. 3 crore to GHMC’s financial burden.
Despite these challenges, EESL claims to have resolved 98.9% of the 218,422 complaints related to faulty streetlights over the past eight months. In the last two months alone, EESL replaced 44,753 streetlights and installed 3,600 new ones. EESL has also installed over 1.7 million streetlights across 140 municipal bodies in Telangana, including GHMC.
While the streetlight issue remains a significant concern, residents continue to call for quicker action to ensure public safety and the timely resolution of maintenance issues.
