Delhi Govt plans smart LED street lights across city

The Delhi Government has directed the Public Works Department (PWD) to draw up a large-scale plan to replace all existing streetlights with smart LEDs on roads under its jurisdiction, officials said on Monday.

The move follows a series of review meetings chaired by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and PWD Minister Parvesh Verma over the past few months. The discussions focused on upgrading the functioning of street lights and addressing complaints about poorly lit stretches.

“While routine repair of street lights is ongoing, the government plans to replace all 92,163 street lights on PWD roads with the latest technology. These new lights will save power, last longer and ensure that dark spots are eliminated,” an official said.

The Chief Minister has already announced a plan to replace about 40,000 sodium vapour lamps with LED lights, while the PWD is working on transitioning all conventional streetlights into smart LEDs.

Launching development projects in her Shalimar Bagh constituency, Gupta on Saturday said nearly 44,000 conventional street lights across Delhi were being replaced with LEDs, with the city expected to be “fully lit up before Diwali.”

Officials explained that the existing sodium vapour lamps pose multiple challenges. “The outdated technology makes it difficult to procure spare parts. Manual monitoring of these lights also delayed redressal of complaints,” an official noted. High power bills and frequent breakdowns have added to the problem.