As lights go kaput, commuters run risk of accidents on dark highways

KHANNA: Those driving vehicles from Ludhiana to Delhi should drive with caution, especially between Ludhiana and Khanna, as lights along the road on the National Highway are not working at many places. As per the last NCRB data, 140 persons died in road accidents on national highways in Ludhiana in 2021.
During the road trip between Mandi Gobindgarh and Ludhiana, it was found that many road lights were non-functional near a filling station at Nasrali of Mandi Gobindgarh near Vikas Nagar, Gobindgarh area of Khanna and Badinpur area near Pratap Colony in Khanna. Many road lights near GTB Market, near Anant Nagar, near Bhattian and Guru Harkrishan Nagar in Khanna were also not working. Several road lights were not working near Libra, close to Bija and near gurdwara Manji Sahib.

Besides the small stretches that are mostly plunged in darkness, a few lights are not functioning even at places where such lights work.
When contacted, additional deputy commissioner (ADC) Khanna Amarjit Singh Bains said that it is the job of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to ensure the functionality of road lights. He assured that he would ask the NHAI project director to look into the matter. Repeated attempts to contact the NHAI project director failed as he did not respond to calls.
NHAI sources said that while some lights may be non-functional, the authority gets repairs done as and when needed. Meanwhile, road safety experts highlighted the need for a properly lit road to prevent accidents.
"The road should have proper road infrastructure like lights, road markings and cat eyes and should be self explanatory so that the driver doesn't face problems. Roughly about 15% of accidents and deaths on the road are caused by poor lighting. They charge hefty toll, so all road lights should be functional and road markings should be present but that is not the case on the Ludhiana-Khanna highway stretch," said international road safety expert Kamaljit Singh Soi. He also pointed out that the road was uneven at any places and it was dangerous to drive on the road, where the speed limit for cars was 90 kilometres per hour.
He said that roughly about 100 persons died on highways in Ludhiana and Khanna areas in five years.
Road users want necessary steps to be taken to check accidents on the Ludhiana-Khanna National Highway.
Harsh Kumar Bhalla, a social activist from Khanna who has been highlighting issues related to Ludhiana-Delhi Highway said that people paid toll and were not getting proper service. He added that many road lights on the highway were not functional in Khanna. Besides, vehicles which had broken down on the road were not being picked up on time, resulting in accidents.
"The agencies collecting toll should ensure that the road is well lit and broken down vehicles are shifted on time," Bhalla said.