Solar streetlights remain defunct in Chincholi border villages
KALABURAGI: A solar streetlighting project launched in 2017 to provide reliable illumination in border villages of Chincholi taluk has fallen into disrepair, with solar panels, battery units and streetlight infrastructure lying unused.
The project was implemented by the Zilla Panchayat in Pochavaram, Mogadampur and Ontichinta villages to ensure street lighting, particularly during power outages. However, residents allege that the lights worked only for a few days after installation before becoming non-functional due to poor maintenance and official negligence.
Under the project, separate solar panels and battery units were installed in the three villages. Streetlight poles were erected at important locations, with electrical connections provided to illuminate the main roads and public areas.
Worked only a few days
Initially, the facility offered considerable relief to residents during interruptions in regular electricity supply. Over time, however, the entire system stopped functioning. Villagers said no effective efforts had been made to repair or restore the installations.
Pochavaram has around 300 houses, Mogadampur nearly 400 and Ontichinta more than 250. The solar streetlights were intended to benefit residents across these settlements by providing an alternative source of lighting.
Poles removed in Kunchavaram
A similar facility was established along the main road from Ambedkar Circle to the Pre-Matric Boys’ Hostel in Kunchavaram village. Solar streetlight poles were installed along the road, while panels were placed on the Gram Panchayat office building. However, the poles were removed during road-widening work, and the facility has since disappeared.
Residents said functioning solar lights would have been especially useful during the ongoing drought, providing an alternative lighting arrangement when regular power supply was interrupted.
Plea to restore lights
They have urged the authorities to inspect the installations and take immediate steps to restore the streetlights. They said public money spent on the project should not be allowed to go waste because of inadequate maintenance.
Meanwhile, Gram Panchayat PDO Ramakrishna Koradampalli said he would once again write to the concerned authorities regarding the issue.
