Team Herald

PONDA: Road-users who ply the four-lane Dhavlim-Farmagudi National Highway are faced with a strange problem- the 2 km stretch is in complete darkness at nighttime, due to the non-functioning streetlights. In contrast, the few working streetlights along the same highway remain switched on throughout the day, complain locals.

At night, the majority of the road remains in darkness, and motorists have to rely solely on their headlights to negotiate the winding stretch. Locals in the area use the side shoulders of the NH for their evening and night walks, and are often seen walking with their mobile torches on.

A little ways along the highway though, streetlights are left on 24×7, say road-users. The locals are upset that the power charges for the street lights left on even during the day time would be recovered from them, in their monthly electricity bills. “Not a single streetlight on this 2-km stretch of highway functions at night. What makes matters worse is that herds of stray cattle rest on this road at night, and it poses a safety hazard to motorists who sometimes see the black buffaloes sitting on the road in the darkness only at the last minute,” said a local who lives near the motorcycle showroom on the stretch.

This highway is also full of sharp curves and is considered an accident-prone zone.