BEST Committee Defers ₹2.50 Crore Worli Streetlight Proposal, Seeks Local Design Character

Mumbai's BEST Committee on Friday deferred a proposal to install 1,450 conventional streetlight poles in Worli at a cost of around ₹2.50 crore. The committee asked the administration to redesign the poles to reflect local neighbourhood identity rather than using uniform silver-coloured poles and yellow lights across the city.

The original proposal involved 250 nine-metre, 1,100 seven-metre and 100 nine-metre zinc-plated poles. Tender rates stood at ₹2.38 crore, about 6.66 per cent higher than estimates. BEST Committee chairperson Trushna Vishwasrao said the administration was asked to reimagine pole shapes and designs, and provide quality assurance details on the shortlisted manufacturer.

Committee member Ramakant Gupta argued that each Mumbai neighbourhood has distinct history and character, including Worli's fishing heritage. He stressed that street infrastructure design should reflect local identity rather than appearing uniform across the city.