Bengaluru | August 31, 2026
Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda has sought disciplinary action against officials after a field survey found that 140 of 222 streetlights on the route between Hudson Circle and Chalukya Circle were not functioning.
The survey, cited in a letter to the chief commissioner of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), found that nearly 63% of the streetlight poles on the route were non-functional. Only 82 lights, or 36.94% of the total surveyed, were working.
The inspection covered two stretches: from Halasuru Gate Police Station Circle to SBI Circle, and from SBI Circle to Chalukya Circle. Of the 67 poles on the first stretch, 33 were found to be non-functional. On the second stretch, 107 of the 155 poles surveyed were not working.
Gowda said the road runs through the heart of Bengaluru and serves as an important link to the Kempegowda Bus Station. The route is also near the court complex and the residence of the Chief Justice of the High Court of Karnataka. According to the minister’s letter, hundreds of vehicles use the road every minute.
The minister’s action follows two meetings on streetlight maintenance within GBA limits. At a meeting held on August 4, officials and contractors were instructed to ensure that maintenance lapses did not continue and were given time to rectify the deficiencies.
“Despite these instructions, the large number of non-functional streetlights on such an important road clearly points to lapses in maintenance,” Gowda said in the letter.
He directed that disciplinary action be initiated against officials who had failed to comply with the earlier instructions. The letter also sought action following the field survey’s identification of the non-functioning poles along the two stretches.
The route’s links to the city’s central bus terminal, court complex and major administrative and institutional locations make the condition of the lighting infrastructure a matter for the GBA and its maintenance contractors. The minister’s direction places responsibility for follow-up on the officials and contractors tasked with maintaining the streetlights.
The next step is the initiation of disciplinary proceedings against officials found to have failed to address the maintenance deficiencies after the August 4 instructions.
