About 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 draw power through those connections. The disruption has raised concerns over traffic management at the affected junctions, even though the Pune Municipal Corporation has paid its electricity bills.
According to Civic Mirror – Pune, Mahavitaran has decided to keep prepaid meters used for street lighting switched off between 6 am and 6 pm. Traffic signals connected to the street-light power supply were consequently affected and stopped operating during the restricted period.
The Pune Municipal Corporation pays the electricity bills for the connections and also makes advance payments, the report said. Despite this, signals supplied through the street-light connections remained shut, creating an operational problem for the civic administration.
The immediate impact is at junctions where traffic movement depends on functioning signal systems to regulate vehicles and pedestrian crossings. With around 60 signals affected, the disruption could complicate traffic control across multiple locations in the city, particularly during daytime movement. The report did not identify the individual junctions involved or specify how long each signal had remained non-functional.
The episode also exposes a coordination issue between the city’s civic administration and its electricity supplier. The signal infrastructure is being affected through a connection intended for street lighting, while the municipal corporation says its bills have been paid. The restriction on prepaid meter operation has therefore disrupted a separate but dependent public-service system.
Manisha Shekatkar, head of the Pune Municipal Corporation’s electrical department, said the civic body would contact Mahavitaran and request that power supply to the traffic signals be restored. The corporation is expected to send an email to Mahavitaran regarding the problem.
The reported shutdown comes as Pune’s traffic management system depends on electrical equipment operating continuously at busy junctions. The available report does not state whether backup power arrangements are available at the affected locations, whether traffic police have been deployed to regulate movement manually, or when the signals will be restored.
The next step rests on the municipal corporation’s communication with Mahavitaran and the electricity distributor’s response on restoring supply to the affected signals.
