Hyderabad plans ₹1,341.6 crore LED streetlight upgrade project

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has initiated a transformative plan to upgrade street lighting across the city, inviting bids for a ₹1,341.6 crore project spanning 10 years. This marks a significant step towards addressing the city's street illumination challenges after over a year of inactivity following the lapse of its previous contract with Energy Efficiency Services Limited.

Comprehensive Upgrade Across Three Corporations

The project will cover the Core Urban Region (CURE), which includes GHMC, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri municipal corporations. As per the tender terms, all existing streetlights—totaling 7.61 lakh fixtures—will be replaced with high-efficiency, higher-wattage LED luminaires within two years. Additionally, 34,512 Centralized Control and Monitoring System (CCMS) panels and switching points will be upgraded within six months.

To ensure seamless operations, a dedicated dashboard for real-time monitoring and management will be established for each municipal corporation. Maintenance protocols have also been tightened, with one batch of workers assigned to every 2,500 streetlights, compared to the earlier norm of 4,000.

Hydraulic Cranes and Dedicated Teams for Maintenance

The contractor will deploy 60 hydraulic cranes during the replacement phase, one for each municipal circle, and maintain a minimum of 30 cranes during the operational period. Additional cranes will be made available as required. Furthermore, a CCMS maintenance team comprising two technicians per circle will be exclusively tasked with maintaining panels and associated equipment.

Penalties for Non-Compliance and Focus on Public Safety

Strict service-level agreements will enforce penalties if the glowing percentage of streetlights falls below 98%. The initiative aims to enhance public safety, improve night-time visibility, and boost energy efficiency while ensuring proactive maintenance to minimise outages.

This ambitious overhaul signals GHMC's commitment to modernising urban infrastructure and addressing longstanding issues with street illumination. The project is expected to bring significant improvements to the city's night-time environment.

Source: The Hindu