Pune traffic signals at 51 junctions within the Pune Police Commissionerate limits stopped functioning around 8 am on Friday while new prepaid electricity meters were being installed and updated, according to Pune City Police. The outage affected junctions in different parts of the city, but officials did not release a list of the locations or provide a confirmed timeline for restoration.
The disruption created the possibility of traffic congestion and confusion for motorists travelling through the affected junctions. With the signals non-operational, commuters were not given specific information about which crossings had been affected, making it difficult to identify routes where signal-based traffic management was unavailable.
Pune City Police attributed the failure to an issue that arose during prepaid electricity meter installation and associated updating work. The police contacted the Pune Municipal Corporation’s Electrical Department after the signals stopped working to seek an explanation for the outage.
A junior engineer identified as Murmure reportedly informed police officials that prepaid meter installation and related updating work was underway. According to the information shared with the police, some traffic signals were affected while this work was being carried out.
The incident links the operation of Pune’s traffic-control network to electrical work being undertaken at or near signal infrastructure. The available communication did not specify the technical fault, the number of junctions where meter-related work was taking place, or whether all 51 signal failures were caused by one common issue.
Efforts were initiated to restore the signals, but Pune City Police had not confirmed when all 51 would become operational. The authorities also did not disclose when the ongoing prepaid meter installation and updating work would be completed.
The absence of a location-wise list meant that motorists were left without an official account of the affected junctions as restoration efforts continued. Further details on the fault, the restoration status and the work schedule were awaited from the Pune Municipal Corporation’s Electrical Department and the police.
