NHAI has agreed to install adequate lighting along the entire four-lane container road after more than two dozen fatal accidents in the last decade. | Photo credit: H. VIBHU
Most 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) that connects Vallarpadam International Container Transshipment Terminal to Kalamassery remain non-functional. As a result, much of the busy, accident-prone stretch remains dark.
The agency agreed to install adequate lighting along the entire four-lane container road after intervention by the Kerala High Court, the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC), NGOs, road safety enthusiasts and people’s representatives following more than two dozen fatal accidents, mainly involving two-wheelers and parked container trucks, over the past decade.
“In addition to accidents, the corridor has, over time, turned into a center for criminal activity and waste dumping, all under the cover of darkness,” police said.
CJ Johnson, a road safety enthusiast, had been taking up the matter with the SHRC since 2015. Later, MP Hibi Eden raised the issue in the Lok Sabha. Subsequently, NHAI installed 1,100 lights under a project worth ₹7.20 crore. “Sadly, most of the lights are still not working due to delays in charging them,” he said.
Mr Johnson said the lack of lighting made pedestrians and cyclists the most vulnerable to accidents and even crime at night. On an average, about ₹ 50,000 is needed to build a kilometer of NH in Kerala, including the land cost. Lights can be installed along such a stretch for around ₹50,000, which is only about 1% of the total cost per kilometre, he added.
The Aam Aadmi Party took up the matter late last year through the central government’s Centralized Public Redressal and Grievance Monitoring System and the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) portal. “Subsequently, in January, the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) responded that many street lights and lights on high masts under the Kalamassery power section can be operated only if the NHAI deposits the estimated amount, which was sent in December 2025,” said Sujith Sukumaran, district secretary of the party.
NHAI, on its part, responded on March 23, saying that a “supervisory consultant” had accorded top priority to the matter and that discussions were underway with KSEB and other concerned authorities. NHAI should expedite the payment, he added.
Reacting to the issue, NHAI sources attributed the delay in commissioning the street lights to the demand of more than ₹1.05 crore, which was estimated as the cost of providing electrical connection to the lights. The matter is pending, they said.
Published – 30 March 2026 21:38 IST
