Around 60 traffic signals in Pune have stopped functioning after Mahavitaran restricted the operating hours of prepaid electricity meters installed for street-light connections, according to a report by Civic Mirror. The affected signals rely on power supplied through street-light electricity connections, creating an immediate problem for traffic management at the concerned junctions.
The prepaid meters are being kept switched off between 6 am and 6 pm under Mahavitaran’s decision, the report said. As a result, traffic signals connected to the street-light supply have remained non-operational during the daytime, even though the Pune Municipal Corporation has paid its electricity bills and also makes advance payments for the service.
The shutdown has raised concerns about traffic control at the affected crossings. Traffic signals regulate vehicle movement, pedestrian crossings and turning movements at busy junctions, and their failure can require manual intervention or leave road users without the usual sequencing of traffic flows. Civic Mirror reported that the shutdown could affect traffic management in the relevant areas.
The issue stems from the way the signals are connected to the city’s electricity network. Rather than being supplied through a separate arrangement identified in the report, the affected signal systems depend on street-light connections. The operating restriction on the prepaid meters has therefore also interrupted power to the signals during the specified hours.
The Pune Municipal Corporation’s electrical department is preparing to contact Mahavitaran by email and request that power supply to the traffic signals be restored. Manisha Shekatkar, head of the civic body’s electrical department, provided the information about the proposed communication, according to the report.
The incident has brought the coordination between the civic administration and the power utility into focus. The corporation’s position, as reported by Civic Mirror, is that electricity bills have been paid, including advance payments, but the signals are still being affected by the time restrictions attached to the prepaid meters. This indicates that the immediate dispute is not about unpaid dues but about the operating arrangement governing the connection.
The report did not identify all the affected junctions or state how long the signals had remained shut when it was published. It also did not specify whether temporary traffic-control measures had been deployed at every affected location. The next step is the Pune Municipal Corporation’s email to Mahavitaran and the power utility’s response on restoring supply to the signals.
