The roads in Bathinda are set to get energy-efficient LED lights. The Municipal Corporation Bathinda (MCB) released a tender for installation of 23,254 LED streetlights, at an estimated cost of Rs. 12.15 crore, which also included the cost of maintenance work for eight years.
Also, under this lighting project, the MCB is planning to install SIM cards in the LED lights that will provide real-time information about the functioning of lights. Moreover, a room dedicated to monitoring would also be made. A malfunctioning streetlight will be shown in the monitoring room and problems will be resolved as soon as possible. Presently, the MCB waits for a complaint regarding a faulty streetlight after which the repair work starts.
The tender was opened on February 25 and then the work of installing the LED lights began. The civic body had installed LED lights on a trial basis on Mall Road and it is now preparing to upgrade the lighting system across the city. Also, a separate electricity meter has been put up on the road to compare electricity consumption of streetlights and LED lights.
The electricity bill for street lights in the city comes to around Rs 40 lakh per month. In order to reduce the bill, the MCB had planned to replace streetlights with LED lights, which will cost Rs 25 lakh per month. Members of the MCB sub-committee had visited Mohali to study the LED lights installed there and after returning, they had given their consent for the project.
Previously, a survey was conducted by the Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL). The company had said it would replace the streetlights with LEDs at a cost of Rs 5.18 crore, however, now the MCB has planned to install the new streetlights on its own.
