Bengaluru Streetlight Failure: 63% Poles Dark on Hudson Circle–Chalukya Circle Stretch, Krishna Byre Gowda Seeks Action
Bengaluru: A field survey of streetlights on the Hudson Circle–Chalukya Circle corridor has found 140 of 222 poles non-functional, leaving nearly 63% of the lights on the central Bengaluru stretch out of service and prompting Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda to seek action against officials responsible for the failure of the basic civic service.
The survey abstract records only 82 of the 222 poles as functional, or 36.94%, while 140, including one missing pole, were classified as non-functional, accounting for 63.06% of the total. The figures underline the scale of the problem on a corridor linking key parts of Bengaluru’s administrative and commercial centre.
The field count divided the corridor into two stretches. Between Halasuru Gate Police Station Circle and SBI Circle, 19 of 35 lights on the left and 13 of 31 on the right were non-functional. Including one missing pole, 33 of the 67 poles on this stretch were classified as non-functional, while 34 were working.
The situation was substantially worse between SBI Circle and Chalukya Circle. Of 155 poles surveyed, 107 were non-functional and only 48 were working. The failures included 42 of 55 poles on the left, 23 of 41 median lights and 42 of 59 poles on the right.
Across the two stretches, excluding the median and the missing pole, 116 of the 180 left- and right-side lights were non-functional. Only 64 were working. On the SBI Circle–Chalukya Circle median, 23 of 41 lights were non-functional.
Byre Gowda criticised what he described as a failure of basic responsibility and accountability in Bengaluru’s administration, saying the city’s problem was not a shortage of projects, posts, officers or funds. He said repeated instructions and warnings had been issued to officials and contractors and sufficient time had been given to improve streetlight functioning, but some officials appeared unconcerned about their basic responsibilities.
The minister said he had noticed widespread streetlight failures while travelling at night from Hudson Circle towards Mysore Bank Circle and Chalukya Circle. He described the road as a crucial central Bengaluru corridor carrying hundreds of vehicles every minute and providing connectivity to Majestic, the bus stand, Vidhana Soudha, the Civil Court complex, the Chief Justice’s residence and other important institutions.
Byre Gowda contrasted the failure of routine street lighting with the administration’s focus on new projects, saying projects are conceived, funds allocated, posts created, officers appointed and taxpayers’ money spent, yet a basic public service remains dysfunctional.
“Operation successful. Yet, basic service remains dysfunctional,” he said, describing the situation as painful and irresponsible. Street lighting, he stressed, is a basic municipal service directly linked to public safety and the functioning of the city.
The minister said he had asked the Chief Commissioner and the Commissioner of the Central Corporation to take action against officials who had failed to discharge their basic responsibilities.
There is, however, a numerical discrepancy between the minister’s accompanying statement and the field survey abstract. While the statement refers to 142 of 222 streetlights not functioning, the detailed survey table totals 140 non-functional poles and 82 functional poles out of 222. The survey’s own percentage calculation is based on the 140 figure, putting the non-functional share at 63.06%.
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