Solar power to light up Ambedkar villages

If the project is successful,the department plans to use solar energy for all Ambedkar villages of the year 2009-10.

The principal secretary,Department of Ambedkar Grameen Vikas,Balvinder Kumar,said: “We have zeroed in on 10,000 villages of different phases,where we will be installing streetlights. We are talking with the state electricity department to provide power connection for the 10,000 sodium lights we will be installing by March 2010.”

While each village will have a high-power sodium light at its centre,smaller sodium streetlights will also be installed according to the size and population of the village.

The department has tied with Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (NEDA) to install 1,500 sodium lights using solar energy.

Project officer of UPNEDA,VK Tiwari,said they had done some trials and the NEDA campus at Lucknow has similar lights. “But since the time is less,we will initially take up 1,500 villages to install 1,500 lamps,” he said. “We are yet to check on maintenance and other expenses for these lights.”

The project will be undertaken as part of the Ambedkar Grameen Samagr Vikas Yojna.

One of the prestigious development schemes of the state government,it focuses on the overall development of the chosen villages,dominated by backward and scheduled castes. Under the scheme,the state government ensures development through implementation of state and Central government schemes.