Mohali, April 19 -- One would think that the roads leading to an international cricket stadium, which draws thousands of fans during every match, would be well maintained and well-lit. But the reality is quite the opposite. The PR-4 highway, which connects Chandigarh Dakshin Marg with New Chandigarh, and extends up to Kurali, crossing the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, the swanky Eco City and Omaxe societies, hits a 7-kilometre dark stretch near Palheri, where motorists are forced to navigate the darkness. Motorists taking this route find the dark stretches appear intermittently - well-lit roads closer to the societies, and darkness around the villages such as Bahalpur, Ranai Majra, and Ratwara villages. While high-mast poles have been erected at a significant cost to the exchequer on the entire stretch, these remain ornamental and provide no relief to those driving towards the newly developed sectors of New Chandigarh. The situation is particularly perilous near Thaska village. Just after crossing the bridge, the highway hits a "rough patch" where the bitumen has worn away. Without overhead lighting, drivers - often travelling at highway speeds - are forced to apply emergency brakes upon the sudden discovery of the broken road, leading to frequent rear-end collisions. "The contrast is jarring," says Rahul Kanwar, an Eco City resident, who takes this route daily to reach his workplace, Teleperformance in Sector 75, Mohali. "The same road connects New Chandigarh to Dhanas and the Sector 38 Extension, which is properly lit. But ours feels like a neglected zone. You are essentially driving blind on a high-speed road. If these poles aren't meant to light the way for us, why are these even there?" The poor lighting tends to haunt more during winters when dense fog, coupled with the highway's sharp curves, cause several vehicles to veer off the road. Residents of Palheri and Ratwara villages note that while locals are familiar with the "dark zones", outsiders taking the route to avoid Kharar traffic often end up in accidents. Villagers wonder if the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) is selectively ignoring parts where there is no real estate project yet. "The road lights up around Eco City and the four-way intersection, which connects New Chandigarh, Dhanas, Boothgarh, and Kurali, and then again closer to Kharar's 123-125 sectors after passing through dark patches. What should we make of it? It looks like a repairable circuit error rather than a lack of infrastructure," said a resident of Ratwara. With an Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants lined up for Sunday, the issue has again gained prominence. Thousands of fans are expected to use the PR4 highway to reach the stadium from Mohali and Kharar. When confronted with these ground realities, Pritpal Singh, executive engineer (XEN, electrical), Greater Mohali Area Development Authority, admitted to the lapse. "There must be a technical error in the system causing these blackouts across three stretches. We have directed our teams to fix the fault immediately. I assure you that the entire PR4 highway will be fully illuminated before the IPL match on Sunday."...