Blending technology, decentralisation, & political acumen
When we talk about governance, streetlights don’t usually make the headlines. They’re so ordinary, so invisible in our everyday lives – until, of course, they stop working. But in Telangana, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has turned this everyday utility into a statement about accountability, efficiency, and decentralisation of power.
At first glance, his new LED streetlight initiative seems like a straightforward infrastructure push: replace outdated lights with energy-efficient LEDs, fix broken poles, and connect everything to Hyderabad’s Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) for real-time monitoring. But if you look closely, the idea is much bigger. It’s about making governance visible, literally, and putting control back into the hands of people who live closest to the problem.
Rising demand, reduced wastage
Take Hyderabad, for example. The Greater Municipal Hyderabad Corporation (GHMC) alone is managing 5.5 lakh LED lights today, and the demand will rise to 7.5 lakh once the core city inside the Outer Ring Road (ORR) is fully covered. With a monthly street lighting bill of Rs. 8 crore, this isn’t small change. By integrating the entire system into the ICCC, faults can be detected instantly, wastage reduced, and contractors held accountable.
Revanth has even insisted on seven-year contracts with reputed LED manufacturers, ensuring that maintenance isn’t an afterthought but a responsibility and a mandatory part of the system.
Decentralisation at its best: Governance at village square
But the real brilliance of this plan lies in the rural dimension. Telangana’s villages already host more than 16 lakh LED lights, but many are poorly maintained, left switched on during the day, or simply neglected because of expired contracts. Instead of leaving this gap for middlemen to exploit, Revanth has handed the responsibility directly to Sarpanches and Gram Panchayats.
Local leaders, backed by Mandal Parishad Development Officers (MPDOs) and District Collectors, will now oversee installation, maintenance, and audits. Every village will conduct a pole-to-pole survey to map requirements – no assumptions, no excuses.
This is decentralisation in its purest form. When the Chief Minister says, “I trust local leaders to manage what belongs to their people”, that shift from centralised contractors to empowered sarpanches represents not only better management, but also a political message – albeit a subtle and quiet one. Governance doesn’t always have to flow top-down; it can, and should, be rooted in the rural setting at the village level, to be tackled at the village square.
Push for sustainable solar-powered streetlights
Revanth hasn’t stopped there. He has asked officials to explore solar-powered streetlights, reducing dependence on the grid and cutting costs in the long run. He has pushed for control boxes with every installation, dashboards at mandal levels, and even third-party audits by institutions like IIT-Hyderabad. This is smart, measurable and transparent governance blended with technology.
What stands out is the accountability built into every layer. If a streetlight in a village in Warangal or Adilabad or Karimnagar doesn’t work, the sarpanch can’t shrug it off anymore. If Hyderabad’s contractors neglect their job, the Command Centre will catch it instantly. And if energy bills keep ballooning, solar feasibility studies will provide the answer.
Reflecting Revanth’s political style
In a way, this initiative reflects Revanth’s larger political style – practical, decentralised, and people-centric. Streetlights might sound like a small issue compared to mega projects or flashy schemes, but they cut across every class, caste, and constituency.
A working streetlight means safety for women walking home at night, reduced accidents on dark roads, and a sense of security in neighbourhoods. By choosing to fix the basics, Revanth is signalling that governance starts from the ground up.
The challenge, of course, lies in execution. Will local sarpanches rise to the responsibility? Will contractors play fair under tighter rules? Will solar adoption move beyond feasibility studies into actual installations? These are questions only time can answer.
But for now, Revanth Reddy has shown political acumen and pro-active leadership in the most unlikely of spaces – streetlighting. He has turned a routine civic function into a test case for decentralisation, accountability, and smart governance. And in doing so, he’s reminding us that real change doesn’t always come with grand announcements; sometimes, it’s as simple as making sure the light stays on.
