Glare from festive lights on Laxmi Road and Kumthekar Road troubles Pune shoppers

Residents of central Pune already put up with poor air, dirty water and constant noise. Now the city's commercial hub faces another problem: light pollution. Very bright LED lights, harsh display boards and unshaded decorative fixtures flood large stretches in strong light as soon as it gets dark. Instead of showing off the old streets, the glare drowns them out. Residents, shoppers and passers-by say their eyes tire and their irritation grows.

The problem is most visible on Laxmi Road and Kumthekar Road. Puneites are battling an "October heat", and at this very time a new line of festive lights has been switched on there.

On Laxmi Road, continuous strings of small lights have been put up overhead on all sides along a stretch of roughly 700 to 1,000 metres, from Belbaug Chowk to Vijay Talkies. The whole route is lit up. People say such unbroken lighting over so long a distance has never been seen here before. On Kumthekar Road, the same scene runs from Chitale Sweet Mart to Khalkar Taleem. After sunset, the lights on both roads are so intense that they dazzle the eyes.

Bharti Chaudhari, a teacher who lives in Pune Camp and often visits Laxmi Road, says this Diwali feels different. "Too many lights strain the eyes and waste electricity, and so much consumption only pushes up bills. But the real question is how these people got the connection. Are they drawing power illegally from MSEDCL poles? The authorities should look into it," she said.

Pranita Rajeshirke, who lives in Mohammadwadi, was on Laxmi Road for Diwali shopping. She said it is hard to ride a two-wheeler in the glare. "Warm-coloured lights look nice, but very bright light tires the eyes. The glare dazzles and you can barely see ahead, so riding a two-wheeler here is difficult," she said.

The Laxmi Road decoration appears to have been put up by a well-known clothing and tailoring shop as its own promotion. Rather than confining the promotion to its showroom, the shop has used a long stretch of public road. As a result, the festive decoration now also serves as commercial publicity, and public space is being used as an advertising canvas. From Dulya Maruti Chowk to Vijay Talkies and beyond, many shops already run bright advertisements. Lights on both sides of the road and the new strings overhead have added to the glare. With the heat and heavy traffic, this stretch has become unsettling for some citizens. The lights are expected to stay on until Diwali ends.

With decorations in the markets and shop lighting getting brighter, the strain on the eyes is now becoming a health concern. Senior doctor Vinod Shah said who is most affected by bright light. "The elderly are affected the most, because eyes become delicate with age. Those who have had cataract surgery are especially sensitive to bright light, and it can trouble them a great deal," he said.

According to Dr Shah, people who already wear glasses get no relief either, because in bright light they have to blink repeatedly and their eyes are strained. It is hard to keep the eyes open in dazzling light. The problem is not limited to adults. Children's eyes can also be affected, and parents should take particular care. "The markets are crowded for Diwali shopping, and the bright, flashy lighting on shops and roads is proving harmful for the eyes," he said. He advises people to avoid such bright light as far as possible, take the necessary precautions and not let the eyes be strained. "From children to the elderly, everyone should take this seriously," he said.

Diwali usually brings the first chill of winter, but this time it is missing. Residents say this area feels hotter than the rest of the city. How much the lights contribute cannot be said without measuring actual temperatures. But the feeling of heat and the eye strain from bright light are two separate problems, and both need attention.

Birds have not been spared either. Wildlife volunteers say bright light can disorient migratory species that travel at night, raise the risk of collisions, and disturb nesting and sleep. Aniket Kamble, a volunteer with Feather and Fangs, WAR Trust, an NGO working on wildlife rescue and conservation, said, "Many birds that migrate at night rely on the moon, stars and natural light to find their way. Bright city lights can disorient them and push them off their usual flight paths." According to him, bright light can also attract birds or make it hard for them to judge where buildings are, raising the risk of collision with glass facades.

Kamble also said artificial light can disrupt the natural sleep cycle of birds that roost in trees at night. Nocturnal species such as owls can be affected too. "How much the effect will be depends on the intensity of the light, its direction and the species," he said. According to him, constant bright light near nests can also change some birds' patterns of rest and behaviour.

The question now is who will answer for this. With whose permission and on what conditions were these lights installed? Has the municipal corporation set any limit on the brightness, height or timing of decorative and advertising lights on public roads? Will anyone measure glare the way noise is measured? Until these questions are answered, the roads of central Pune will keep getting brighter, and those who live and shop there will keep squinting in the glare.

Meanwhile, taking advantage of the second-last Sunday before Diwali, Puneites thronged Laxmi Road and Kumthekar Road for festive shopping. Families began arriving in the morning and the whole area soon filled up. Clothes, saris, jewellery, footwear, rangoli material and diyas sold the most, and Laxmi Road looked like a fair. Diwali begins on November 5, so many shoppers chose this Sunday. Families kept coming through the day, the crowd grew in the evening, and even the nearby lanes filled with shoppers. Many families bought all their festival needs in a single trip.

The enthusiasm came with traffic chaos. Two-wheelers were parked haphazardly on the roads and lanes leading to Laxmi Road, and the lanes coming in from Sadashiv Peth and Narayan Peth were jammed. Shoppers had difficulty getting around and many looked distressed. Despite the rise in online shopping, people came in person to see and buy goods, women especially. According to locals, the crowd began at 10 am and lasted until 10 pm. Apart from the Ganeshotsav period, it was the biggest crowd on Laxmi Road this year.