KMC eyes solar, LED lighting for EM Bypass and Maa

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is taking a major step to turn green compliant. After the successful installation of solar lights at Deshapriya Park, the civic authorities are now working on plans to convert all street-lights into solar and LED on the EM Bypass stretch from Patuli to Ultadanga and on the Maa flyover stretch under the ‘Green Cities’ scheme which would help the civic authorities save Rs 4 crore electricity bill annually.

Solar power expert and former managing director of West Bengal Green Energy Development Corporation S P Gon Chaudhuri has handed over the detail project report to MMiC (parks and gardens) Debashis Kumar at the KMC headquarters.

“The proposal is to install solar power panels and LED panels on the entire stretch of EM Bypass and Maa flyover. It is a Rs 22-crore proposal in which 1.2 MW of solar power would be generated daily. The civic authorities would be able to save Rs 4 crore electricity bill per annum and this will also help reduce 12 tonne of CO2 emission per day,” Gon Chaudhuri said.

The other proposal that Gon Chaudhuri has handed over is to harvest 1.5 MW solar power from the Dhapa garbage field by setting up a solar plant. The solar panels here will be installed at a height of 10ft and vegetable cultivation could be done as well under the solar panels. This will ensure more moisture in the soil during summer.

Kumar said the project will be taken under the state government’s Green Cities Mission. “We had asked Gon Chaudhuri to prepare the report which we have received. It seems to be a very good project which will minimise our electricity cost and will also pave the way for a greener city,” Kumar said. A total of Rs 40 crore will be spent under the scheme.

After the installation of solar lights at Deshapriya Park, KMC authorities noticed a drastic 80% fall in electricity bill in the area.

Source:TOI