Public infrastructure must be well-illuminated

Representational image. Pic/iStock

Enough and more has been said about lights in Mumbai. Whether they are dancing at our feet (literally), wrapped around tree trunks, hanging from posts or shaped like birds, the city is full of lights. Some have remarked sarcastically that the city looks like a giant nightclub, but this edit is not about sarcasm. Decorative lighting is well and good, but we must ensure that the city's public infrastructure is well-lit. Decoration and aesthetics should come after functionality and practicality.

Our street lights must work well, and back roads and small alleys should also be illuminated so as to make these spaces safe, especially for women.

Parks need good illumination too, because these are hideouts for vagrants and anti-social elements. Our skywalks must also have good lighting. This paper has reported about entire skywalks being cloaked in darkness. Women fret about negotiating such structures for fear of molestation or assault. Keep these spaces clean and bright.

Lighting implies more than just visibility. It also means cleanliness, and more importantly, safety. While women fear sexual assault in darkened areas, there is also the fact that petty thieves, mobile snatchers, chain snatchers and pickpockets take advantage of the dark while targeting citizens. Even more serious crimes are committed. So, in the overall picture, lighting and crime have a correlation.

There is also the genuine fact that our pavements are in poor shape in patches. Encroachments abound. Obstacles, loose blocks and rough surfaces mean there is many a slip and trip. Good lighting is not a foolproof solution but a buffer against all this. That is why lighting for beauty is all very well but a megawatt megapolis is
necessary for safety.