Timers to save power on Beach Road

Trial by a Hyderabad-based company has shown a saving of 40 per cent

Following the success of a trial on the Beach Road that showed 40 per cent energy conservation, GVMC plans to take up the Rs.1.5 crore project.

Timers will be placed to conserve power and 50 per cent of the cost, Rs.75 lakh, will be borne by the New and Renewable Energy Development Corporation of Andhra Pradesh and the remaining by the corporation, Municipal Commissioner M.V. Satyanarayana told The Hindu .

Trial by a Hyderabad-based company has shown a savings of 40 per cent on the Beach Road. The trial was run for four months along 1 km. stretch. With the use of timers, the lights glow according to the ambient light and peak brightness is between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. The municipal corporation has been weighing a proposal to replace streetlights with LED lights for years now. The agency has to maintain the lights and will get a lion’s share of the power bill that is reduced owing to the introduction of the LED lights. However, the agencies involved are insisting that the lighting infrastructure be handed over to them in a perfectly fit condition redoing wiring etc.

At one point of time, the total expenditure on power bill and maintenance is estimated at Rs.17 crore a year. Now the power bill has mounted to Rs.24 crore, at the rate of Rs.2 crore a year while maintenance remains pegged at Rs.5 crore, say officials. A Nagpur-based consultant is now working on the public private partnership (PPP) projects and preparing detailed project reports based on which the project will be taken up, says Mr. Satyanarayana.

Foot overbridges

Another proposal that has been hanging fire for a long time is erecting foot over bridges (FOBs). With the volume of traffic increasing multi-fold pedestrians find it increasingly difficult to cross the road at several busy junctions.

FOBs are proposed at Maddilapalem, the Railway Station, Asilmetta, Hanumanthavaka, NAD, Kancharapalem, near Ambedkar Statue, Old Gajuwaka and New Gajuwaka.

The FOBs will be installed by private agencies and will get the advertisement rights. The key issue is deciding for how many years they should be given the permission and agencies that quote fewer years will get the permission.

However, a major hurdle is faced from shop-keepers who object to the steps of the FOBs landing near their shops. As of now, Maddilapalem and the Railway Station are identified as “clear” points with no hurdles. Expression of interest will be proposed for them in the next few days, it is learnt.