Panchkula: The Haryana development and panchayat department has floated a ₹11.72 lakh tender to install 261 LED street lights across 10 villages in Panchkula district, bringing long-awaited relief to rural residents. Bids for the project will be accepted until June 25, and the installation work is mandated to finish wsithin four months of the contract being awarded. The initiative will cover the villages of Bhagwanpur, Bunga, Taprian, Shyamtoo, Khairwali Parwala, Hangola, Kakrali, Kheri, Natwal, and Rehna.While electricity poles were erected in these villages a long time ago, the actual installation of lights and crucial fitting infrastructure stalled. The project was previously gridlocked because it was split between two different agencies under an older govt scheme. Following years of administrative delays, the panchayat department took over the project independently to execute a fresh, streamlined tender.Rural residents have actively campaigned for street lighting for years to counter rising night-time accidents and criminal activities. Furthermore, the dark stretches have increasingly drawn wild animals toward the residential borders, creating a severe safety hazard that locals hope the new bright lighting will deter.Expressing the frustration of the affected communities, a local villager stated: “We have been raising this demand at different forums. It has been a long time since poles were erected for street lights, but the work had stopped after the installation of poles. We expected the authorities to expedite the work.”
