Chandigarh: While coaching institutes in Chandigarh’s Sector 34 routinely flaunt top ranks and successful candidates during result season, the reality confronting thousands of students after sunset is starkly different—large stretches of the city’s coaching hub lie in near-total darkness, with students forced to use mobile phone torches. TOI’s visit to the area found students navigating unlit market stretches and parking lots, with some staying on calls with friends or family as they walked to seek reassurance amid surroundings they described as intimidating.Around 7.30 pm, when students begin heading toward bus stops and adjoining sectors, illumination is largely confined to corridors and a few commercial establishments. Along several stretches, even the path ahead is difficult to see.Outside Mukat Hospital and Heart Institute in Sector 34-A, alongside Dakshin Marg dividing Sectors 34 and 21, a student who takes a bus to Zirakpur every day after classes said he had joined a coaching institute three months ago but had never seen the stretch properly lit. Another student, who joined coaching six months ago, said he had rarely seen the lights functioning along the route.“There are several dark spots, and walking alone after classes can be intimidating,” said an 18-year-old female student studying at a coaching institute. Students said they often remained on calls while walking, as speaking to someone helped them feel more comfortable in the darkness and their surroundings.While students said they had not heard of any specific incidents in the area, they flagged people drinking in parking areas, and smoking along roadsides, as factors adding to their discomfort. The parking area near Piccadily Square was among the stretches they identified as poorly lit.The stretch outside Mukat Hospital presents another problem during rainy season. Many students who regularly use the route said the pathway becomes waterlogged and the water takes hours to recede, forcing pedestrians to take a much longer detour. The path is also unpaved, making it difficult to navigate in darkness and after rainfall.Sanjiv Kumar, a Sector 21 resident who regularly sees students returning from coaching classes, said the lack of adequate lighting was a concern for those walking home after dark. “Earlier, students returning to homes and PGs in Sector 21 had to pass through the park near Ishwar Singh Dev Samaj School, which was also poorly lit. After multiple requests to the officials, lights were restored,” Kumar said.Sector 34 draws students preparing for NEET, JEE, UPSC, SSC, banking, and law entrance examinations. Around 50 coaching institutes cater to nearly 10,000 teenagers, college graduates, and older candidates preparing for recruitment examinations. For students travelling home to different parts of Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula, and nearby towns, poorly lit walking routes add to the difficulties of the evening commute.AAP area councillor Prem Lata said around ₹90 lakh had been spent on installing 11 high-mast lights in the area. Six are expected to become operational within two to three days, while the remaining five are expected to be switched on within six days, she said. The installations include two locations near the library, two behind The Toy Hotel, one outside the BSNL office, one in the parking area near Piccadily, and one near a gurdwara.Until the lights are switched on, students returning after evening classes will continue to depend on their phones’ torches to navigate stretches where streetlights should be doing the job.
