Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday urged the Central and State governments and administrations of union territories to patronise and adopt rooftop solar power facilities. He suggested that it could be made mandatory.
“Every Central, State government and union territory government’s building should have rooftop solar power plant. Public sector undertakings should also have the rooftop solar power plant,” he said.
He was speaking after inaugurating a 1.5 mw rooftop solar power plant installed at a cost of ₹ 7.67 crore in the centrally administered JIPMER medical college in Puducherry.
Mr. Naidu said that installation of rooftop solar power plants could also be made mandatory.
“Buildings and premises should have sunlight and also natural air which were part of the architectural features in ancient days. Now we are living in congested places and therefore there should be adoption of rooftop solar power plant. Building laws could also be modified to make such facilities of rooftop solar power plant and rain water harvesting mandatory,” the Vice President said.
He described the initiative of JIPMER as commendable and said the medical college had become a role model for other institutions in installation of rooftop solar power plants.
He also pointed out that JIPMER had done well in combating COVID-19 by rendering help to not only people of Puducherry but also those in the neighbouring States.
The pandemic had taught us several lessons, particularly in understanding the relevance and importance of proper ventilation and availability of sunlight into the premises, he added.
Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan was among those who spoke.
Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, Speaker of Puducherry Assembly R. Selvam and Lok Sabha Member from Puducherry V. Vaithilingam were among those present.
Earlier, on his arrival at the Puducherry airport, the Vice President was received by the Lieutenant Governor, the Chief Minister, the Speaker and Ministers. Mr. Naidu drove to the Subramania Bharathiar Museum and Research Centre established by the Puducherry government on the premises where the poet had lived during his 11-year long sojourn in Puducherry.
Mr. Naidu is scheduled to inaugurate the Puducherry Technological University and roll out a solar power plant on the premises of the Pondicherry Central University at Kalapet near Puducherry on Monday.
