Ranchi Residents Demand Urgent Repairs as Defunct Streetlights Create Safety Hazards at Night

Ranchi: Defunct streetlights in various parts of the city pose safety concerns for motorists and pedestrians alike after sunset. Plying on a dimly lit roads, which are cratered and have open drains, is a recipe for disaster in densely populated areas, city residents said on Friday.In Lalpur, Morabadi, Chiraundi, Kokar and Kantatoli, arterial roads and by lanes are either dimly lit or in complete darkness as broken street lights go unattended for months.There are over 53,000 streetlights across 53 wards of the city.Chiraundi resident Dukhu Munda said that the 3 km road from Karamtoli Chowk to Chiraundi is full of potholes and due to the movement of traffic, there is dust in the air in these areas, always. “Since most of the streetlights on this stretch of road are not working, it becomes very difficult to ride a two-wheeler or a four-wheeler after dusk as you don’t get to see the potholes in the dark. At times, stray dogs come in front of the vehicles causing accidents,” Dukhu said.Kokar resident Puja Sharma said, “It becomes scary during the night to travel to the Kokar area from Lalpur Chowk because a portion of the area near the Distillery Pool is dark. A couple of working streetlights would be fine.”Officials of the Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) said at least 25 teams are working to repair the streetlights in the city. “Our teams are continuously attending to complaints,” Suraj Prakash Choudhary, assistant administrator of RMC’s lights section, told TOI. “There is a control room number – 9431104429 and a connect centre number – 18005701235 where people can register their complaints regarding streetlights. All those are taken care of within three days. On average, we receive 100 complaints and repair 700 lights daily,” he claimed.