A late-night power outage on Mumbai’s coastal road has raised questions about the reliability of lighting infrastructure on one of the city’s most ambitious urban mobility projects. Visuals circulating on social media over the weekend showed a stretch between Worli and the Bandra–Worli Sea Link shrouded in darkness, forcing motorists to navigate the corridor using only their headlights.
The video, which was widely shared on X and tagged to civic and traffic handles, triggered concern among residents about night-time safety and the operational management of the newly opened coastal corridor. Several users criticised what they described as “negligence” and “poor maintenance” by the city authorities, arguing that a lack of illumination could easily lead to accidents on a road where speeds are higher than on inner-city routes. By Sunday morning, neither the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) nor the Mumbai Traffic Police had issued an official explanation for the outage. Unofficial sources suggested that an electrical fault or scheduled maintenance may have caused the blackout, though these claims remained unverified. The absence of clear communication prompted further scrutiny of how Mumbai’s key transport corridors are monitored in real time and how swiftly essential services such as lighting are restored after failures.
Experts on road safety emphasised that consistent and well-maintained illumination is essential for visibility, hazard recognition, and speed regulation—particularly on coastal or elevated roads designed for faster commutes. “A dark stretch disrupts driver confidence and increases the risk of collisions,” said a transport infrastructure analyst. “Reliable lighting is not just an amenity—it’s a safety necessity.” The incident also rekindled debate over Mumbai’s preparedness to manage its next-generation infrastructure sustainably. The ₹13,000-crore coastal road has been promoted as a flagship project to ease congestion and reduce travel time across the western shoreline. Yet, as residents pointed out, recurring lapses in basic operations like lighting could undermine public trust in such large-scale investments.
Urban planners argue that the episode should serve as a reminder of the need for built-in redundancies in urban infrastructure—such as backup power sources, automated fault detection, and responsive maintenance teams—to ensure round-the-clock safety. They also note that integrating renewable energy solutions like solar-powered street lighting could enhance reliability while supporting Mumbai’s broader sustainability commitments. As authorities investigate the blackout, citizens are calling for greater accountability and transparency from civic agencies responsible for the city’s evolving transport network. Until detailed clarifications and corrective measures are announced, Mumbai’s coastal road will continue to face scrutiny—not for its engineering achievement, but for how safely it serves its users after dark.
Also Read: Mumbai Speeds Up Excavation For Goregaon–Mulund Link Road Tunnels
