LED streetlights can cut power use by 61%, says Minister; flags rollout delays

You don’t have any Active Subscription.

Your active subscription(s)

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

Products you've access to

Additional Subscription Benefits

Need help with your subscription?

The project envisaged installing 3,02,919 LED streetlights across the city; however, only 2,67,270 lights have been installed so far

Published - August 04, 2026 07:07 pm IST - Bengaluru

Krishna Byre Gowda | Photo Credit: File photo

Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda on Tuesday said the LED streetlighting project could reduce electricity consumption by 61.01% if implemented in full. He, however, noted that the project has been progressing at a sluggish pace.

Reviewing the progress of the project with GBA electrical engineers, Mr. Byre Gowda questioned officials over the slow pace of implementation and lashed out at officials over the incomplete rollout despite work orders being issued more than a year ago.

He also reprimanded officials for having attended the meeting without accurate data.

According to the Minister, the project envisaged installing 3,02,919 LED streetlights across the city. However, only 2,67,270 lights have been installed so far. Similarly, of the 24,677 Centralised Control and Monitoring System (CCMS) panels planned under the project, only 7,567 have been installed.

Mr. Byre Gowda said the project was intended to provide a permanent solution to the recurring problem of malfunctioning streetlights while significantly reducing electricity consumption.

The Minister announced a two-month extension, effective from August 3, to complete the installation of all pending LED streetlights and CCMS panels. He directed officials to replace all remaining conventional streetlights with LED fixtures, install new lights in areas where streetlights are absent, and ensure that every installation is integrated with the CCMS-based automation system to enable continuous monitoring of streetlight functioning.

Mr. Byre Gowda also instructed officials to crack down on contractors who fail to maintain the lighting network. Nearly 34% of complaints received through the Sahaya grievance portal relate to non-functional streetlights, he said, directing that all such complaints be resolved within 48 hours.

He said contractors would be penalised if they failed to rectify faults within the prescribed time. The penalty would be linked to the number of streetlights affected and the duration of the delay. He also directed officials to initiate action against contractors who repeatedly fail to respond to complaints.

Like many of Mr. Byre Gowda’s meetings, this review meeting also witnessed sharp criticism of officials for attending without basic data on the project. When the Minister sought details on the electricity bills currently being paid for streetlighting across Bengaluru’s five city corporations and the expected savings after the LED transition, officials were unable to provide official figures.

“There is a growing attitude that a government job simply means turning up and leaving without accountability. Such conduct by officials brings a bad name to the government,” he said.

Published - August 04, 2026 07:07 pm IST

Terms & conditions | Institutional Subscriber

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.