Village panchayats have intensified installation of solar streetlights not only to face acute power shortage but also scale down expenses.
To begin with, installation commenced in 46 village panchayats at an estimated cost of Rs.1.1 crore. On completion of the first phase, the rest of the villages will be covered in subsequent phases, according to Collector N. Venkatachalam. Installation of solar lights was being executed in 14 panchayat unions as per guidelines of the Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency. The State Government had already instructed village panchayat administration to switch over to solar lights to tide over power crisis.
Solar power support will be given to 460 streetlights in these pancahayts. At Seelapadi panchayat alone, 40 solar lights will be commissioned at M.G.R. Nagar, Roja Nagar, Saraswathi Nagar and N.S. Nagar. With solar battery, these streetlights will burn continuously for12 hours between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Normally, these lights will burn in electric power only and shift to solar power in the absence of conventional electric power, he pointed out.
Community participation was very essential for maintenance of solar lights. People of this panchayat should take care of these lights properly.
If there was any malfunction or technical snag, it should be informed to concerned officials concerned immediately to enable them to take action immediately, he added.
