The ball has been finally set rolling to transform Vijayawada into a solar city. Vijayawada figures in the list of 60 cities in the country that the government proposes to groom into solar energy hubs.
The plan, designed by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), is aimed at meeting 10 per cent of the cities’ local energy demand through solar power. As part of the plan, street lights, energy used for water pumping and supply and maintenance of office lighting would be met through solar energy. This is expected to bring down the civic bodies’ expenditure by 10 per cent.
The proposal has been hanging fire, but with the Chandrababu Naidu Government giving top priority to usher in the culture of ‘green’ cities as part of the master plan to develop a ‘world class’ infrastructure in Andhra Pradesh, the project has gained momentum.
