Pune traffic signals at 51 junctions stopped functioning around 8 am on Friday while prepaid electricity meter installation and updating work was under way, Pune City Police said, creating the possibility of traffic disruption across the Pune Police Commissionerate limits.
The affected signals are located in different parts of the commissionerate area. Pune City Police did not release a list of the junctions where the signals had stopped working, leaving motorists without specific information on which routes were affected.
The police also did not provide a confirmed timeline for restoring all 51 signals. The duration of the outage remained unclear as efforts began to bring the systems back online.
According to the police, officials contacted the Pune Municipal Corporation’s Electrical Department after the traffic signal failures were reported. A junior engineer identified as Murmure reportedly informed the police that the installation and updating of new prepaid electricity meters was in progress.
The engineer’s explanation, as shared with the police, indicated that some traffic signals were affected while the meter-related work was being carried out. However, officials did not disclose the precise technical fault that caused the signals to stop functioning or explain whether the outage was linked to a specific location, electrical circuit or phase of the work.
Traffic signals are a key part of junction management in Pune, particularly on roads carrying mixed traffic, public transport, two-wheelers and pedestrians. When multiple signals stop operating simultaneously, traffic movement may depend on police personnel, road users and temporary arrangements at individual junctions. The police report did not specify whether personnel had been deployed at all the affected locations.
The incident also highlights the operational dependence of traffic-control infrastructure on electrical supply and coordination between civic departments. In this case, the disruption occurred during work being undertaken on prepaid electricity meters, while the traffic signal network falls within the city’s broader municipal and police-managed road operations. The available information does not establish whether a formal work protocol or advance warning system was in place for signal-dependent junctions.
Pune City Police said restoration efforts had been initiated after the issue was brought to the PMC Electrical Department’s attention. The authorities had not announced when all 51 signals would be functional, when the ongoing meter installation and updating work would be completed, or whether a location-wise status update would be issued.
