A government school in Nalgonda district, perhaps the only one in the State to install solar power systems, has ended up on the receiving end of official apathy, not getting the subsidy due to it, nor a technician to repair the now-defunct system.
The Zilla Parishad High School of Duginavelly village in Kattangur mandal of the district had got one kilowatt (1KW) SPV (Solar Photovoltaic) unit installed way back in 2013, through the New and Renewable Energy Development Corporation of Andhra Pradesh (NREDCAP) in the then unified state.
Funds for the installation were largely drawn from the Rs.13.8 lakh sanctioned by the district administration for expansion of the school. It is also interesting to note that the funds were sanctioned after a spirited campaign by the villagers for better infrastructure.
“The villagers formed a development committee which had got the classrooms built under direct supervision, without involving contractors. Thereby, we saved Rs.1.5 lakh,” says N.Harinder, a local social activist.
It was decided to spend the 1.5 lakh, along with other contributions, on installation of SPV panels. However, the travails began later, when despite repeated letters, appeals and reminders, the school failed to get the reimbursement it is entitled to in the form of subsidy from Ministry of Non-conventional and Renewable Energy, which amounted to Rs.53,310.
“We wrote to the Telangana New and Renewable Energy Development Corporation Ltd (TNREDCL), MNRE, and principal secretary, Energy, but to no avail. A letter went to MNRE from the then NREDCAP soon after bifurcation, but there was no response. We are totally in the dark about when the school will receive the subsidy,” Mr. Harinder says. He recently filed an RTI application online on MNRE website seeking to know the details. Ironically, the NREDCAP’s letter to MNRE mentioned three more beneficiaries to whom subsidy was due — two private hospitals and one housing welfare association — all of which were reimbursed immediately.
“When I enquired with MNRE, they said the claim was not forwarded to them, upon which I submitted all documents with proofs. Still I got no reply,” Mr. Harinder says.
Meanwhile, the solar system has broken down due to weathering and lack of maintenance. It has been close to a year now, since the school has stopped getting the solar savings, which means that the promised returns on investment in renewable energy were not fulfilled.
“I made many rounds of TNREDCL asking for a technician to be sent to repair the system. We were given to believe that the company which had installed the panels, had five-year contract for maintenance. But they never sent any technician so far for regular maintenance,” says headmaster of the school K.Veera Reddy. TNREDCL has, a year ago, written to the city-based company, Grace Solar, asking them to send a technician to restore the system, but has not since taken any action against the company for defaulting on it.
