Mohali, Oct. 12 -- This winter, if you plan to drive along the Chandigarh-Kharar-Ludhiana highway (National Highway 5) at night, do it at your own risk. At least 211 streetlights along the first 10 kilometres of the highway, starting from Verka Chowk, are non-functional, which essentially means that commuters will be left to their own devices to navigate this stretch, especially on foggy nights.

The tricity typically starts experiencing winter haze and fog in early to mid-November as the night temperature begins to drop. Reduced visibility makes it harder for motorists to judge the position and speed of other vehicles, spot pedestrians and identify road hazards. These risks are only compounded on highways.

A ground survey by this report...