Container Road remains dark, after installing 1,100 lights

A bulk of the 1,100 lights that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) installed as early as March 2025 on the 17-km-long Container Road (NH 966A), which links the Vallarpadam International Container Transhipment Terminal with Kalamassery, remain non-functional. As a result, much of the busy and accident-prone stretch continues to remain pitch dark.

The agency agreed to install adequate lighting along the entire four-lane Container Road following intervention by the Kerala High Court, the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC), NGOs, road safety enthusiasts, and people’s representatives, after over two dozen fatal accidents, especially involving two-wheeler riders and parked container lorries, over the past decade.

“Over time, apart from accidents, the corridor turned into a hub for criminal activity and waste dumping, all under the cover of darkness,” the police said.

C.J. Johnson, a road safety enthusiast, had taken up the matter with the SHRC since 2015. Later, Hibi Eden, MP, raised the issue in the Lok Sabha. Following this, the NHAI installed 1,100 lights under a ₹7.20 crore project. “It is sad that most of the lights are still not functioning due to delays in charging them,” he said.

Mr. Johnson said that the lack of lighting makes pedestrians and two-wheeler riders most vulnerable to accidents and even crime at night. On average, approximately ₹50 lakh is needed to construct a kilometre of NH in Kerala, including the cost of land. Lights can be installed along such a stretch for about ₹50 lakh, which is just about 1% of the total cost per kilometre, he added.

Aam Aadmi Party had taken up the matter late last year with the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System of the Central government and the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) portal. “Subsequently, the Kerala State Electricity Board [KSEB] responded in January, saying that many street lights and high-mast lights under the Kalamassery electrical section can be operated only if the NHAI deposits the estimate amount that was sent in December 2025,” said Sujith Sukumaran, district secretary of the party

On its part, the NHAI responded on March 23, saying that the ‘supervision consultant’ had accorded the highest priority to the matter and that discussions were under way with the KSEB and other authorities concerned. The NHAI ought to fast-track the payment, he added.

Responding to the issue, NHAI sources attributed the delay in operationalising the street lights to the demand for more than the ₹1.05 crore that had been estimated as the expense for providing power connections to the lights. The matter is awaiting clearance, they said.