Hyderabad: Dysfunctional streetlights have been causing inconvenience for both commuters and residents, resulting in frequent accidents in various areas across the city. Residents say they have complained numerous times, but all in vain.

The recent heavy rains with strong winds have led to glitches and wiring issues, resulting in malfunction of lights across the city. Hyderabad has over 5 lakh street lights under the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits, but several of them are dysfunctional.

According to residents, they are being subjected to inconvenience as streetlights have been defunct for over a month; authorities do not pay heed to repair them. The streetlights along the main roads leading to colonies in various areas including Ameerpet, Yousufguda, Tolichowki, Mehdipatnam, Shaikpet, Basheerbagh, Nampally, Red Hills, Vijaynagar, Malakpet, Santosh Nagar, and in parts of the Old city are defunct.

There is a need of the concerned department to tackle the issue at the earliest in order to avoid any untoward incidents. “In these dark stretches, pedestrians as well as commuters find it difficult to pass the area. Chasing of stray dogs and anti-social elements have increased due to lack of lights,” said Krishank, a resident of Yousufguda.

The problem also affects posh colonies such as Ministers’ Quarters, Road No.11, MLA Colony on Road No.12, Jubilee Hills Road No.45 and other various colonies of Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills. “In many parts of Banjara Hills, hardly two in 10 street lights are functional. The road leading towards the Banjara Hills police station is unlit”, he added.

Commuters, especially two-wheeler riders, face the risk of riding bikes on such stretches. “Though at some places lights have been provided a few months back, they function only occasionally,” said Mohammed Ahmed, an activist in the Old City.

Ahmed said the assurance of authorities of repairing and installing lights at various places did not come true. He recalled residents complaining several times to the concerned officials but to no avail. “At Ramnaspura, Bahadurpura and other areas, the road is hardly visible at night. The situation turns worse after rains. I see several motorists losing balance while passing the stretch. Authorities must make commuters’ travel safer and fix lights as early as possible,” said Ahmed.

Street lights on flyovers like those at Begumpet and Narayanguda are inadequately illuminated. Commuters navigating these dimly lit roads said that the lack of visibility poses significant challenges during their travels, raising their concerns about the risk of accidents.

The streetlights are out of order and repair work has not been taken up despite several complaints. “Travelling at night is not safe. Moreover, in darkness, stray dog attacks have increased. Canines are chasing bikers and other commuters. With these, motorists are losing balance and accidents are occurring,” said Asif Hussain Sohail of Surya Nagar colony in Shaikpet.

Asif Hussain said that the streetlights remain dysfunctional due to the lack of proper integration with the Central Control and Monitoring System (CCMS) which controls these lights.