{
  "type": "article",
  "title": "Mau's Rs 90 Lakh Street Light Scheme in the Dark: 80 Lights Dead for Months, Walidpur Residents Fear Accidents",
  "summary": "Around 80 street lights installed at a cost of roughly Rs 90 lakh in Mau's Walidpur Nagar Panchayat have been out of order for months. The poles stand but the lights are missing, leaving roads dark and residents fearing accidents and crime.",
  "content": "Street lights are meant to keep roads lit at night so people can travel without fear, and that is exactly why the government installs them in every Nagar Panchayat. But in the Walidpur Nagar Panchayat of Mau district, that system has completely broken down. Around 80 street lights, set up here at a cost of roughly Rs 90 lakh, have been out of order for months. The result is that the very roads on which lakhs of rupees were spent now plunge into pitch darkness the moment night falls.\n\nLakhs Spent, Yet the Roads Stay Dark\nSpeaking to TrendKia, nominated councillor Vinod Sonkar said that nearly 80 street lights had been installed at a cost of about Rs 90 lakh, and they have been broken for several months. The situation is such that the poles stand visible all over the area, but they carry no lights at all. Ordinary pedestrians are facing serious trouble because of this. According to him, most of the lights across the Nagar Panchayat are either damaged or have vanished from the poles. Complaints over this were made everywhere from the Nagar Panchayat office up to the senior officials, but to this day no one has acted on them.\n\nSnatchings Once Plagued the Road, Now Fear Returns\nVinod Sonkar recalls that this road used to see frequent snatching incidents, and people would either step out nervously or travel only in company. When the street lights were installed, hopes rose that the problem would end and movement would become easy. He says that for several years, whenever a light failed it was repaired at once, but ever since Savitri Devi became the Nagar Panchayat president, the lights kept failing and disappearing from the poles one by one. They have still not been fixed. The poles remain but the light is gone, leaving the roads shrouded in darkness with a constant risk of accidents. Sonkar has warned that if the lights are not repaired soon, a major agitation will be launched.\n\nRTI Raises the Question of 200 Lights\nAccording to councillor Ansarul Haq, during the tenure three years ago the lights were regularly maintained and inspected, and every installed light glowed properly. But since Savitri Gupta's term as president began, not a single light has lit up. He says a tender was floated to install new lights, and the lights did arrive, but they were never put up. When information was sought through an RTI, he was told that around 200 lights had already been procured, yet no details were given about where they had actually been installed. As a result, residents across the entire Nagar Panchayat are forced to move about in darkness and fear.\n\nOfficial Promises Lighting Will Be Restored Soon\nVaibhav Singh, the Executive Officer of Walidpur Nagar Panchayat, said he had taken charge here only recently. He stated that if the lights on the roads are not working and lights are missing from the poles, the matter will be investigated and lights will be installed immediately. Lights that are damaged will be repaired, and for those that cannot be fixed, a fresh tender will be floated to install all the lights. He assured that arrangements to light up the roads would be made at the earliest.\n\nWhat this means for you\n• Across India: The case shows how public money spent on civic amenities can be wasted without proper upkeep, putting both citizens' safety and their tax rupees at risk.\n• In Mau (Walidpur): People using these roads at night face a higher risk of accidents and snatching incidents, so avoid travelling alone and keep filing complaints to get the lights restored.\n\nQuestions & Answers\n\n1. How many street lights were installed in Walidpur Nagar Panchayat and at what cost?\nAbout 80 street lights were installed here at a cost of roughly Rs 90 lakh, and they have been out of order for several months.\n\n2. What problems are residents facing because of the broken lights?\nThe poles stand but the lights are missing, leaving the roads dark and raising fears of accidents and of snatching incidents that used to occur there earlier.\n\n3. What did the RTI reveal?\nAccording to councillor Ansarul Haq, the RTI response said around 200 lights had been procured, but no details were given about where they were actually installed.\n\n4. What have officials promised?\nExecutive Officer Vaibhav Singh said the matter would be investigated and that damaged lights would be repaired or a fresh tender floated to install all lights soon.",
  "url": "https://trendkia.com/en/uttar-pradesh/mau-ke-validapura-men-90-lakha-ki-strita-laita-yojana-thapa-80-laiten-mahinon-se-1146",
  "category": "Uttar Pradesh",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-16",
  "tags": [
    "Walidpur Nagar Panchayat",
    "Mau street lights",
    "street light scheme failure",
    "Savitri Gupta",
    "Nagar Panchayat corruption",
    "Uttar Pradesh civic bodies",
    "RTI revelation"
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "site": "TrendKia"
}