NEW DELHI: Delhi’s roads are set for a major lighting overhaul, with the city government approving an ambitious plan to replace nearly 96,000 street lights with advanced smart LED systems across the Capital.
The decision was taken on Wednesday during a hybrid meeting of the expenditure finance committee (EFC) chaired by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. The project, estimated to cost around Rs 473.24 crore, will be implemented in phases on roads maintained by the public works department (PWD).
The government aims to complete the transformation before Diwali so that Delhi’s major roads are fully illuminated with the new smart lighting system.
The project is part of the announcement made by the Chief Minister in the 2026–27 Budget, where she had proposed replacing conventional street lighting with energy-efficient smart LED systems.
At present, PWD roads have nearly 45,000 old high-pressure sodium vapour (HPSV) lights and around 51,000 HPSV LED lights. Altogether, the network includes close to 96,000 lights and 51,160 poles.
Explaining the need for the project, the Chief Minister said the existing system had several shortcomings. Since there was no real-time monitoring mechanism, faulty street lights were often identified only after complaints were received.
The Chief Minister said the initiative would help make Delhi’s roads free of dark spots.