Ranchi streetlights on several major city roads are set to receive more reliable power after Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited installed nine additional 200 KVA transformers across eight substations, officials said. The dedicated equipment is intended to keep priority road stretches illuminated even when 11 KV feeders are shut down.
The installations were carried out following directions from JBVNL managing director K Srinivasan. DN Sahu, superintending engineer of the Ranchi circle, said the first phase covers substations at Lok Bhavan, Harmu, DPS, Old Vidhan Sabha, Airport, Morhabadi, Sadar Hospital and Chadri.
Streetlights connected to these substations will be supplied directly through the new transformers. This arrangement separates their power supply from the 11 KV feeders that serve other electrical loads, allowing the lights to remain operational during feeder shutdowns, according to JBVNL.
The Ranchi Municipal Corporation is connecting streetlights near the identified substations to the newly installed transformers. The work is focused on key city corridors where outages can reduce visibility for motorists, pedestrians and other night-time road users.
The move addresses a specific weakness in urban streetlight reliability: a feeder shutdown can affect lighting even when the streetlight infrastructure itself is functioning. By creating a direct connection to dedicated transformers, JBVNL and the municipal corporation are seeking to reduce the impact of such power interruptions on priority stretches.
Officials said the first phase includes nine transformers across eight substations. JBVNL is also exploring options to extend similar arrangements to other parts of Ranchi, although no wider rollout timeline was provided. The authority’s next step is to complete the direct connection of streetlights near the selected substations and assess options for additional areas.
