Pramesh S Jain
•Contractors to be penalised for non-functional streetlights.
•Two-month extension granted to complete pending installations.
•Minister pulls up officials for attending review meeting without basic data.
Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda today said that the city’s LED Street Lighting Project has the potential to achieve 61.01% electricity savings once fully implemented.
Questioning the slow pace of execution,he sought an explanation from officials on why the project continues to face delays.
Chairing a meeting of GBA electrical engineers on Tuesday to review the implementation of the LED street lighting project, the Minister said,“Work orders for the project were issued on May 7 and May 15, 2025.
Under the project,a total of 3,02,919 LED streetlights were to be installed across the city.
However, only 2,67,270 lights have been installed so far. Similarly,while 24,677 Centralised Control and Monitoring System (CCMS) panels were to be installed,only 7,567 panels have been completed.Why has the remaining work been delayed?he asked, expressing his dissatisfaction.
The project was conceived to provide a permanent solution to persistent complaints about malfunctioning streetlights while also improving energy efficiency and reducing electricity consumption.
The Minister said it was unacceptable that the project had not been completed within the stipulated timeframe and that officials were presenting inaccurate progress figures.
He announced an additional two-month extension, effective August 3,2026,to complete the installation of all pending LED streetlights and CCMS panels.
He directed officials to replace all conventional streetlights with energy-efficient LED lights without exception,install additional streetlights in areas where none currently exist,and ensure that CCMS-based automation systems are installed to continuously monitor whether streetlights are functioning properly.
*Contractors to be penalised for non-functional streetlights:
The Minister noted that 34% of the complaints received through the ‘Sahaya’ portal relate to non-functional streetlights.He directed that all such complaints must be resolved within 48 hours with immediate effect.
If contractors fail to rectify the faults within the prescribed timeframe,penalties must be imposed.
The penalty amount should be calculated based on the number of streetlights affected and the duration of the delay.
He also instructed officials to initiate appropriate action against contractors who repeatedly fail to respond or maintain the streetlights properly.
“Why attend a review meeting without even basic data?”
The Minister strongly criticised officials for attending the review meeting without basic information on the project’s progress.
He sought data on the electricity bills currently being paid for street lighting across the city’s five municipal corporations and the expected savings after the installation of LED lights.However,officials were unable to provide any official figures.
Expressing his displeasure,Krishna Byre Gowda said, “There is no basic data,no answers to the questions raised,and not even the minimum preparation despite being called for an official review meeting.
Why have you come here?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.”
The meeting was attended by Chief Commissioner, Maheshwar Rao;Municipal Commissioners,Ramesh K.N. and Dr.Rajendra K.V,Chief Engineers Anand and Swayamprabha;senior officials from the Electrical Department;and other officers.
