Mysuru: In a major initiative to improve street lighting and public safety, the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) has identified 4,229 dark spots across the city and drawn up plans to illuminate them by installing new electric poles and LED streetlights.

The dark spots include roads, residential layouts, parks and traffic junctions that currently lack adequate street lighting, often leaving these areas in darkness after sunset. The MCC aims to transform Mysuru into a “darkness-free city” through the proposed drive.

The initiative comes after the successful replacement of conventional streetlights with 73,000 LED bulbs across the city. Building on this, the MCC has now identified another 5,000 locations for fresh streetlight installations.

Wherever there are large gaps between existing electric poles, new poles will be erected and fitted with LED lights to ensure uninterrupted illumination.

Priority is being given to parks, major traffic circles and residential areas, where inadequate lighting has remained a longstanding concern.

The project is being implemented under a public participation scheme to ensure comprehensive coverage across the city. Although thousands of LED streetlights have already been installed, the Corporation continues to survey different localities to identify additional unlit stretches.

“We have surveyed all nine zonal offices and identified more than 4,229 dark spots. LED bulbs will be installed at all these locations. While the LED bulbs are available, over 1,583 new electric poles have to be purchased and an estimate is being prepared,” Executive Engineer Deepak of the MCC Electricity Division told Star of Mysore.

The Corporation has also reported significant savings in electricity consumption following the large-scale adoption of LED lighting. Officials said power consumption has come down by nearly 30 percent after LED bulbs replaced conventional lights in streetlights as well as Corporation offices.

According to officials, apart from improving visibility and enhancing public safety, the LED lighting project has also helped reduce electricity bills considerably.

With the proposed installation of additional streetlights, the Corporation hopes to eliminate dark stretches across the city and create safer, brighter and more commuter-friendly public spaces.