After years of delays, the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) is moving forward with a Rs 94 crore project to install 75,000 LED streetlights. A public-private partnership will handle installation and maintenance. This initiative aims to reduce the city's electricity bill by 47% and address long-standing resident complaints about inadequate lighting.
The Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) is set to proceed with the installation of LED streetlights, provided all arrangements go forward as intended. The corporation has begun the process to install 75,000 LED streetlights, with an investment of Rs 94 crore through a public-private partnership model.
The LED streetlight initiative, which remained dormant since 2018 due to technical complications, now gained momentum. Following the resolution of technical obstacles, HDMC officials issued tenders for the twin cities of Hubballi-Dharwad. The tender seeks to select a concessionaire responsible for implementing and maintaining LED streetlights and lighting systems, along with establishing a centralised control and monitoring mechanism through a public-private partnership.
Between 2018 and 2022, the Hubballi-Dharwad Smart City Limited (HDSCL) attempted to implement a Smart City Project involving the installation of 58,000 LED streetlights. Despite floating tenders seven times, no agencies showed interest, leading HDSCL to transfer the project to HDMC.
HDMC sources indicate that following a fresh survey, they prepared tender documents for 75,000 streetlights. Given the project cost of Rs 94 crore exceeded Rs 50 crore, approval from the pre-tender scrutiny committee was required. The committee, after resolving their concerns, recently authorised HDMC to proceed with the tender process.
Subsequently, upon receiving the committee's approval, HDMC issued the tender, as confirmed by sources.
Vijay Kumar, the superintending engineer overseeing HDMC, announced that the technical proposal would be reviewed on Jan 8, whilst the pre-bid meeting is scheduled for Dec 11. The concession period will be for 7 years. He indicated that the LED streetlights project implementation is anticipated within the next two months.
SM Ganachari, who heads the electrical section, explained that HDMC currently incurs an electricity bill of up to Rs 2 crore. He noted that installing LED streetlights throughout Hubballi-Dharwad twin cities would result in a 47% reduction in electricity expenses. The saved amount would be utilised to pay EMIs to the agency responsible for installing, maintaining, and monitoring the LED streetlights through a centralised control system.
A resident of Sulla Road in Keshwapur, Shyamsundar, expressed frustration over the prolonged delay in streetlight installation. He mentioned that despite lodging numerous complaints with civic authorities over several months, they only received assurances about LED streetlight installation. The residents continue to await action on this essential infrastructure requirement.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): J Abbas Mulla
Quelle/Source: The Times of India, 05.12.2024
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