Around 60 traffic signals in Pune have stopped functioning after Mahavitaran restricted the operating hours of prepaid electricity meters installed for street-light connections, affecting signal systems that depend on those connections for power. The disruption has raised concerns about traffic management at the affected junctions across the city.
According to a report by Civic Mirror – Pune, Mahavitaran has decided to keep prepaid meters used for street-light connections switched off between 6 am and 6 pm. Several traffic signals connected through the street-light electricity network consequently became non-functional during the day.
The Pune Municipal Corporation has said that electricity bills for the relevant connections have been paid. The civic body also makes advance payments for the electricity supply, according to the report. Despite this, signals supplied through the street-light connections have remained shut because of the timing restriction imposed on the prepaid meters.
The affected signals are located at junctions where traffic movement depends on functioning electronic controls. A failure during daytime hours can leave vehicles and pedestrians reliant on manual traffic management and existing road discipline, although the report does not provide details of specific junctions or confirm whether police personnel have been deployed at each location.
The issue has brought the operating relationship between the civic administration and the state power distributor into focus. Traffic signals and street lighting serve different functions, but their electrical connections appear to be linked at some locations. That arrangement means a decision affecting the street-light power supply can also disrupt traffic-control equipment, even when the municipal corporation says its electricity dues have been cleared.
Manisha Shekatkar, head of the Pune Municipal Corporation’s electrical department, said the civic body would contact Mahavitaran regarding the problem. The corporation plans to send an email requesting that electricity supply to the traffic signals be restored.
The immediate question for the two agencies is whether the signals can be supplied through a connection that is not subject to the street-light meter schedule, or whether the prepaid meter operating hours can be changed. The report does not state how long the signals have remained shut, identify the total number of traffic signals in Pune, or indicate whether Mahavitaran has issued a formal response.
The disruption also exposes a coordination gap in the city’s electrical and mobility systems. A traffic signal is a road-operational asset, while a street-light meter is part of the city’s public-lighting network. Where both rely on the same electricity connection, billing arrangements and supply schedules can have direct consequences for traffic control.
The Pune Municipal Corporation is expected to write to Mahavitaran seeking restoration of the affected supply. Further action will depend on the power distributor’s response and the technical arrangement adopted for the signals connected through the street-light network.
