4k new lights for dimly lit Rajarhat-Gopalpur roads
Times of India | 18 February 2026
Kolkata: The Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) is in the process of purchasing 4,060 streetlights and 405 light posts for better illumination in wards 1 to 27 of Rajarhat-Gopalpur, at a cost of Rs 3.9 crore under the state's Green Cities Mission scheme.
The civic authorities, in their budget proposal for 2026-27, proposed Rs 16 crore in the upcoming financial year for the repair and maintenance of street lights.
BMC mayor Krishna Chakraborty, in her budget speech, said: "There is a need for better streetlights in the Rajarhat-Gopalpur area, covering a large area of Kestopur, Baguiati, Kaikhali, and places close to the airport," said a civic official.
To increase the number of streetlights in each of the 41 wards in Salt Lake, BMC has already installed 500 streetlight panels each of 70 and 120 watt capacity in different places, along with 52 high-mast lights. Additionally, 70 streetlights of 54 watt, 145 lights of 70 watt and 589 of 140 watt have been installed in wards 29 to 41, the BMC mayor mentioned in her budget speech.
Out of the Rs 16 crore budgetary allocation proposed for streetlights, the authorities have shown a capital expense of Rs 6 crore for public lighting and Rs 6 crore as revenue expenses towards the repair and maintenance of streetlights and other installations. The authorities have shown an allocation of Rs 4 crore under the Green Cities Mission scheme.
"Streetlights in some places are so dim that practically the light does not reach the ground," said Arnab Aich, a resident of Baisakhi.