Andhra Pradesh is set to undertake a large-scale smart streetlighting programme covering all 123 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in the state, with around 10.5 lakh streetlights planned to be brought under an AI-enabled monitoring and management system.
The initiative will be implemented by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) in coordination with the Commissioner and Director of Municipal Administration (CDMA) under the Andhra Pradesh Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department. The project is aimed at transforming conventional streetlighting into a digitally managed urban service that can be monitored remotely and maintained more efficiently.
According to the plan, approximately 7.5 lakh streetlights will be covered in the initial phase, while an additional 3 lakh lights will be brought under the programme as part of the expanded scope. The rollout will extend across urban local bodies in different parts of the state, making it one of the largest connected streetlighting initiatives undertaken at the state level.
The proposed system will use Individual Light Monitoring (ILM) controllers to connect individual streetlights with a central monitoring platform. This will allow municipal authorities to remotely operate and monitor lights while receiving information about their functioning and energy consumption.
The digital platform is expected to provide features including real-time monitoring, remote switching, fault detection, energy tracking, GIS-based asset mapping, automated alerts and performance analytics. The system will also support predictive maintenance, helping authorities identify potential faults and maintenance requirements before they result in prolonged outages.
The state government and EESL are expected to enter into a tripartite arrangement involving the concerned ULBs before the implementation process begins. Review meetings with commissioners of regional ULBs have been scheduled from August 11 to 14 to discuss the execution framework and take forward the rollout.
The project is also expected to focus on energy efficiency. Earlier assessments of large-scale LED streetlighting programmes have indicated significant potential for reducing electricity consumption and operating costs. Under the new system, the availability of real-time energy and performance data could give urban authorities better visibility into how their lighting networks are functioning.
The initiative builds on the Centre’s Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP), through which EESL has already facilitated the replacement of more than 1.3 crore conventional streetlights with LED lights across India. The Andhra Pradesh programme takes the approach further by combining energy-efficient lighting with digital connectivity, remote operations and data-based maintenance.
For Andhra Pradesh’s municipalities, the project is expected to improve monitoring of a large and dispersed public asset while reducing dependence on manual inspections for identifying faults. The availability of centralised data could also help ULBs plan maintenance and track service performance more systematically.
EESL has committed to implementing the programme within the stipulated timeline, with the state government aiming to establish Andhra Pradesh as a model for AI-enabled and energy-efficient urban streetlighting. If implemented as planned, the project could demonstrate how connected lighting infrastructure can become an important component of data-driven municipal management.
