1.36L LEDs replace sodium street lights
LUCKNOW: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath switched on 1.36 lakh LED street lights of state capital and 38,500 street lights of Varanasi from his residence on Monday evening to mark the completion of Street Light National Programme (SLNP) in the two cities.
SLNP, launched by PM Narendra Modi in January 2015, aims to replace 1.34 crore conventional street lights with energy efficient LED lights by March, 2019. It is being implemented by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL).
Lucknow Municipal Corporation would save ₹70 crore annually from the 1.36 lakh LED street lights, claimed Saurabh Kumar, MD, EESL. He added, “CM Yogi lit up the street lights in Lucknow and Varanasi on Monday by pressing the button at his residence on Monday evening.”
Saurabh Kumar said, “Around 70% of the amount saved would be given to EESL which has replaced the lights. EESL will invest ₹1000 crore in the state by replacing 15 lakh sodium street lights with LED lights. Out of this, ₹500 crore have already been invested as 5.75 lakh LED lights been fixed on poles in 11 municipal corporations. Of the total, 1.36 street lights have been replaced in Lucknow which will save ₹70 crore annually, while 38,500 street lights have been replaced in Varanasi which will save ₹15 crore.”
To implement the replacement of street light programme, state government bodies including the Urban Development Department (UDD) and Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) have partnered with the EESL, a joint venture under the administrative control of the Ministry of Power, Government of India.
The SLNP was launched in UP in September 2017. The EESL had signed agreements with 15 municipal corporations and the work has been completed in 11 of them. The move would enable potential energy savings of 400 million kWh annually, reduction of 350 million tonnes in carbon dioxide emissions and would also lead to monetary savings of ₹280 crore per annum, said Rajeev
Sharma, chairman, EESL.
Besides, street light smart meters were to be fixed in 40 lakh houses and one crore prepaid meters would be placed in rural houses of Uttar Pradesh, added Sharma. To install smart meters, the EESL will invest ₹2,600 crore in Lucknow, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Kanpur and Mathura.