“I switch off fans and light when not in use, U?” Chintadripet residents may have come across the catchphrase, on the move.
T. Murugaselvam, assistant executive engineer of Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Ltd. (Tangedco) sports the sticker on his two-wheeler.
At a juncture when the state is reeling under severe power shortage, the government employee has taken it upon himself to create awareness about saving power.
“I wanted to do something for our power-starved State and create awareness among people. Every body complains about power cuts, but we can manage the situation by energy conservation. One unit of power saved in each house can make a lot of difference in the State,” said Mr. Murugaselvam.
He plans to distribute his stickers to schools after saving up enough money to print them in bulk. He would also like to create awareness among children through the medium of cartoons.
“Awareness should begin at the school level. Children should realise that every unit of electricity saved can be of help to those in power-starved districts,” he said.
“All of us should share the burden and manage the situation,” he said.
He says that the lack of power supply in his hometown of Madurai, during childhood, made him conscious of electricity use.
Households needn’t be miserly when it comes to power consumption but surely, wastage can be avoided, he said.
“When we see water overflowing, we immediately turn off the tap. But that judgement does not often apply when it comes to power usage,” he said.
If power is saved, consumption charges, too, will come down with time.
“The government could direct affluent households and big, commercial establishments to install solar panels to meet their needs,” he said.
