Delhi Pushes Smart Lighting Drive With 1 Lakh LED Street Light Upgrade

The Delhi government has approved a Rs 473 crore project to replace nearly one lakh street lights with smart LED systems across roads maintained by the Public Works Department (PWD), with officials aiming to complete the rollout before Diwali. The decision was cleared during a meeting chaired by Rekha Gupta along with PWD Minister Parvesh Verma on Wednesday.

Under the project, around 96,000 street lights across the national capital will be upgraded, including old High Pressure Sodium Vapour (HPSV) lamps and ageing LED fixtures that have frequently drawn complaints over poor visibility and delayed maintenance. Officials said approximately 45,000 sodium vapour lamps will be replaced with smart LED lights, while another 51,000 older LED units will be upgraded with newer systems.

The government also plans to install nearly 5,000 additional lighting poles in areas currently lacking adequate street illumination. Authorities said the initiative is aimed at addressing long-standing concerns related to dark stretches on roads, malfunctioning street lights and public safety, especially during night-time hours.

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Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the existing lighting network relied heavily on public complaints to identify faults due to the absence of a real-time monitoring system. “Since there was no real-time monitoring mechanism, faulty street lights were often identified only after complaints were received,” she said. Gupta added that many dark spots remained unattended for extended periods, affecting visibility and raising concerns over commuter and women’s safety.

According to officials, the upgraded lighting network will be integrated with a centralised Command and Control Centre capable of detecting faults instantly and enabling remote operation of the system. Authorities will also be able to regulate lighting intensity based on traffic movement and local requirements, with brightness levels adjustable by up to 90 per cent.

The government expects the transition to smart LEDs to significantly reduce electricity consumption and maintenance costs, with projected annual power savings of nearly Rs 25 crore after full implementation. The initiative was earlier announced in the Delhi government’s 2026-27 Budget as part of a broader effort to modernise civic infrastructure and improve energy efficiency across the capital before the festive season.

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