The Thiruvananthapuram Corporation has shortlisted three companies for the implementation of the LED streetlight project in three electrical divisions in the city, out of six companies that had earlier responded.
Under the project, the all the streetlights will be replaced with LED lights and the companies contracted will maintain it over a period of 10 years. Each of the companies have been chosen for the three separate electrical divisions.
Under various projects for a shift to LED streetlights since 2014, the city Corporation has till now replaced more than 60% of the previous fluroscent streetlights with LED lights. According to Corporation sources, the companies can either choose to replace all of the streetlights with new LED lights, or replace just the old non-LED lights. But, with a system to fix responsibility for effective functioning of the entire streetlight system, the companies will have a price to pay in case a considerable number of lights do not function.
The companies will need to set up a proper monitoring system, using which they can track the functioning of the streetlights. They will be liable to pay compensation if more than 5% of the streetlights do not function at a given point of time. The companies are also expected to reduce power consumption of streetlights by at least 35% compared to the current levels. The Corporation will also include clauses to impose fines for not carrying out maintenance on streetlights within 48 hours. The companies will also have to maintain vehicles and technical staff to address complaints immediately.
The contract for the firms will be finalised once the Corporation council approves the proposals, which have been cleared by the technical committee. Till now, the civic body has been banking on the Kerala State Electricity Board, which replaces the street lights in phases after the Corporation deposits money in advance.
