Hindustan Times 10.03.2010
The rising sun turns off these streetlightsThe sight of streetlights lit even after sunrise must have made many Delhiites worry about wastage of electricity.
They would be relieved to learn that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has launched a system to monitor switching on and off of streetlights in the Capital.
The system will help coincide sunrise and sunset timings with the switching on and off of streetlights. It would also help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions.
MCD officials said, once functional, the system would ensure monitoring from a central control room of each road and create database for many years besides improving billing accuracy. The total cost of the project is Rs 200 crore.
All lights will be individually monitored and controlled from the central server, which would be situated inside the Civic Centre, the proposed MCD headquarter.
MCD Commissioner K.S. Mehra said, “The system is based on GSM (Global system for mobile communication) and GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) technology on which mobile phones work. In case of any fault, an SMS can be sent directly to the maintenance staff for speedy action and timely maintenance.”
“The system provides the report of operative and non-operative lamps on the road. Any theft of power from the feeders can also be detected.”
The civic body is upgrading streetlights in two phases. The first phase covering, 101 km, has been implemented and covered 52 roads including Panchkuain Road, Raja Garden to Pankha Road, Delhi Gate, Dr. Krishan Marg among others.
In the ongoing second phase, 157 km of work is in progress covering 107 roads. The work will be completed by May 2010.
“Once phase-II is completed, the status of the lights on individual roads shall be available to public on the MCD website,” added Mehra.
