The electricity tariff hike gave the entire State a jolt, but the city Corporation has swiftly moved in to heal the singe.
The civic body plans to install energy-saving Mag Coupled lamps on some stretches, on an experimental basis, to check if they can be used as streetlights.
Next week, Diaonics Automation Private Ltd., a Mumbai-based company, will light up Manaveeyam Veedhi with these lamps.
“This is a relatively new technology in lighting. According to the company, it can save up to 60 per cent electricity.
The company will install the lights free,” said Corporation works standing committee chairman V.S. Padmakumar.
Mag Coupled lamp is an electrode-less fluorescent lamp that functions on the principle of electromagnetic induction and gas discharge. The company says these lights have a high life of around 1 lakh hours.
“Mag Coupled lamps are used as streetlights in Chennai, Nasik, and Thane. If the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation installs these lights, its power bill can be brought down by more than 60 per cent,” a company spokesperson said.
The Corporation now pays around Rs.3.45 crore per month to light its 40,000-odd streetlights. “This figure will increase manifold with the new tariff hike. Hopefully, new technologies will bring some respite,” Mr. Padmakumar said.
Complaints
Meanwhile, the Corporation has introduced pre-qualification guidelines, making some technical norms mandatory, for bidding of lights and light fittings following complaints of poor quality streetlight fittings and spare parts. The issue was raised in the last council meeting by United Democratic Front (UDF) councillor Tony Oliver of Valiyathura ward. Mr. Oliver said that hundreds of low quality tubelight chokes and fuses procured by the Corporation for lighting up the Shanghumughom beach stretch during for the Vavu Bali ritual had been left unused at the KSEB Sreevaraham sub-station.
“The electrical spare parts acquired by the Corporation, especially the newly acquired copper chokes, are of very poor quality. Within weeks of installation they get damaged. The labour charge for climbing one electric post is around Rs.180. Lakhs of rupee is being spent by the Corporation for the repair and replacement of damaged streetlight fittings,” Mr. Oliver said.
Mr. Padmakumar said the issue had been sorted out with the introduction of pre-qualification bid. The tender notice issued by the Corporation three weeks ago to procure electrical equipment worth around Rs.60 lakh included a pre-qualification bid, he said.
