Chandigarh, Oct. 4 -- With city councillors repeatedly flagging the issue of dysfunctional streetlights across Chandigarh, municipal commissioner Amit Kumar has directed officials to ensure that the lights are repaired and made operational by October 10. The issue came to the fore once again during the municipal corporation House meeting held on September 30, where councillors expressed frustration over prolonged delays of and the poor state of illumination on city roads, parks, and public spaces. Congress councillor Gurpreet Singh Gabi raised that despite repeated assurances, no tangible progress had been made. "For the past three House meetings, officials have been saying they're preparing an agenda to replace old lights with more efficient, technology-integrated ones. But every time, the agenda is pushed forward, while residents continue to live in poorly lit neighbourhoods. With the festival season and winter approaching, entire stretches of the city remain in darkness. It's not just inconvenient - it's unsafe." AAP councillor Hardeep Singh said, "Nearly 40% of the city's streetlights are non-functional. Poor visibility on key roads increases the risk of accidents, especially for cyclists and pedestrians who can't spot potholes or obstructions in time. Women and senior citizens are particularly vulnerable after dark, fearing thefts or harassment. Even critical public zones like Panjab University, PGI and GMSH-16 are shrouded in darkness every evening. Delays in basic maintenance are simply unacceptable. "When commissioner Amit Kumar sought a status report during the meeting, officials claimed that 80% of the lights were functional-a claim that stood in sharp contrast to the ground reality described by councillors. Following the discussion, Kumar directed the engineering wing to achieve at least 90% functionality by October 10. Chandigarh currently has around 60,000 streetlights, of which approximately 55,000 fall under the municipal corporation's jurisdiction. These include 40,000 lights on internal and dividing roads and another 15,000 in parks, green belts, open spaces, and parking lots. The remaining 5,000 lights on major city roads are maintained by the UT administration's engineering department. It is pertinent to mention that MC is planning to overhaul the city's street lighting system by linking over 55,000 lights to the city's Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) in Sector 17. The centralised system will enable real-time monitoring of streetlights, ensuring faster repairs, timely maintenance and better illumination across neighbourhoods....