TEAM HERALD
PONDA: Ponda Municipal Council (PMC) has become the first council in the State to experiment with power efficient LED streetlights, after the council installed 10 LED streetlights in the city on a trial basis.
And if the experiment is successful, the older tube light fixtures on streetlights in Ponda town could be a thing of the past.
Through an agency recommended by the Central government, the PMC has installed 10 LED streetlights on a trial basis in the town in a bid to reduce power consumption and maintenance costs.
“We had requested the urban development minister to commission the LED streetlight project from Ponda, as the town is geographically the smallest among other municipalities,” informed PMC Chairperson Dr Radhika Nayak.
According to information, the cost to install LED fixtures in the city is estimated to be over Rs 36 lakh and Dr Nayak said the cost will be borne by the State government.
“Each LED streetlight costs about Rs 6,000 and there are about 600 electricity poles in PMC jurisdiction. We will also have to install extra LED light fixtures wherever there is a greater distance between two electricity polls,” said Dr Nayak.
“If the experiment is satisfactory, normal tube light fixtures will be replaced with LED streetlights all across town. Apart from lesser electricity consumption, the LED lights are also low on maintenance cost,’ she added.
Dr Nayak said the council would also invite feedback from public and councillors, before finalising the decision to provide more energy efficient streetlights for Ponda town.
