If all goes well, We will soon have “smart” LED streetlights in Chandigarh. Yes, you read that right! The Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh has decided to replace its existing streetlights with new smart ones.

So what is so special about these LED Streetlights in Chandigarh?

Well, first of all, these new street lights are said to be more energy efficient than the existing ones. The total energy consumed by the existing streetlights is 2,31,33,710 kilowatt per hour per annum. Further, the total electricity bill paid by the municipal corporation is Rs 12.64 crore annually.

If the reports are to be believed, the installation of these smart LED streetlights in Chandigarh will reduce this amount by 50-60%.

That is not all. Further, these street lights will have a centralized control and monitoring system (CCMS) facility to control the street lighting system of the civic body. With this, all the streetlights would be switched on and off at the flick of a single switch by using state of the art GPRS technology. Dimming of individual or group of lights at late night as required, informing the on-off status and generating alert during fault can also be done very easily.

What is the cost of the project?

There are approximately 48,000 light points in Chandigarh, including sodium vapor lamp, metal halide, CFL, and FIL. So the entire cost of the project comes around to Rs. 50 crore. However, fret not. The entire cost of the project, including the maintenance charges and infrastructure development charges, would be borne by Energy Efficient Services Limited (EESL). Thus, the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh will not be financing this footfall. Further, in a case of any defect, the EESL will rectify it in a maximum time period of 48 hours.

So how long do we have to wait to go the smart way?

Well, it depends on go ahead. The agenda for a go-ahead to this project will be tabled today at the House meeting. After all the details have been ironed out, the project will follow soonafter.