ISLAMABAD: As the sun dips below the rooftops each evening, many parts of the federal capital are plunged into pitch darkness. The only illumination comes from the Parliament Lodges and adjoining areas, which are bathed in powerful streetlights, while other parts of the capital have very few functioning lights.
Many streets and main roads in the city remain shrouded in darkness, and people generally avoid these areas during nighttime hours.
It was not always like this. However, after the Capital Development Authority (CDA) came under the Cabinet Division, which operates under the direction of the prime minister of Pakistan, streetlights on the capital’s major roads began to disappear from public view. Whether the country’s wealthiest civic authority was struggling to meet its electricity bills or had lost track of its maintenance schedule remained unclear. In many parts of the federal capital, streetlights were not only switched off but had also been removed entirely, including their bulbs and poles. As a result, nightfall leaves most sectors of Islamabad in darkness.
Residents of sectors G-6, G-7, G-8, G-9, G-10, G-11, H-8, H-9, H-10, I-8, I-9, and I-10 said they were increasingly concerned about allowing their children to visit nearby shops at night. Motorists complained that they could not see pedestrians until their vehicles were almost upon them.
“We are extremely concerned about our safety,” said residents of I-10. “We recognise that street lighting is something that contributes to public safety,” they added.
Mohammad Nawaz, a resident of Sector I-9, told The Lahore Times that the streetlights in his sector had been dysfunctional for the past three years. As darkness descended over the city each evening, poorly illuminated streets created inconvenience for residents and appeared to contribute to an increase in robberies and road accidents.
“It’s just too dark,” said Sajjad Khan, who worked for an English-language daily newspaper. “When I come out of the office, I can’t see what’s in front of me, making it difficult for me to get home safely,” he said.
“When I leave at night, it’s scary. I have to wonder whether someone is lying in wait to catch me off guard,” he added.
A student from Guangzhou, China, said, “Islamabad is the capital of a nuclear power, yet it seems that no streetlights function here in the evening. In even the smallest towns in China, hundreds of powerful lights remain illuminated throughout the night.”
Residents from various sectors of the capital said they had lodged complaints with the CDA several times, but to no avail.
The residents urged the CDA to repair the non-functional streetlights on a priority basis.
When contacted, CDA officials said that streetlights in many sectors were dysfunctional because of technical problems. They added that the authority was well aware of the situation and was addressing matters related to the repair and maintenance of streetlights across the capital.
A CDA official further said that the authority would repair all non-functional streetlights on a priority basis.