The Hindu 12.03.2013
Corporation schools to be solar-powered soon
All corporation schools would soon be solar-powered, if
the civic body took forward a proposal outlined in its budget 2013-14.
The move comes in the backdrop of the State government’s initiative to
give a push to renewable energy sources, especially solar power.
The
government has already issued an order for establishing solar power
systems in all government and civic buildings. The corporation has also
announced its intent to put up a solar power system for its main office.
The
civic body has now made a budgetary allocation of Rs.1 crore from the
education cess for putting up solar power systems in all the 61
corporation schools. These include 31 elementary, 27 middle, two high
and one higher secondary schools. Given the power shortage and frequent
load shedding, the move is expected to come as a boon for students of
the schools catering largely to the lower-income groups.
The
corporation has decided to construct toilets in 14 schools and improve
amenities such as drinking water supply and electricity connections.
Streetlights
The
corporation has decided to replace tube lights with LED lamps in all
streetlights. The corporation has also planned to invite private
participation in the maintenance of the streetlights. It plans to
install, through a private partner, energy saving devices such as
streetlight controllers, voltage controllers, individual lamp monitoring
equipment, and a centralised monitoring station under the project,
through which the civic body seeks to reduce its power consumption by at
least 35 per cent, and also secure carbon credits.
The
civic body has also unveiled a plan to establish a heritage centre at
its main office. In an attempt to meet a felt-need, the corporation has
decided to put up signboards of important road/street names at 60 places
in the city.