Hyderabad: Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy ordered officials to call tenders for installing new LED street lights in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) areas falling within the Outer-Ring Road (ORR) in the core urban region, and municipalities.
In a meeting with officials of GHMC and Panchayat Raj, at the Integrated Command Control Centre (ICCC) in Hyderabad on Monday, September 15, the chief minister reviewed the existing condition of LED street lights in villages, municipalities and municipal corporations.
Municipal officials informed the chief minister that the GHMC currently has 5.5 lakh LED street lights within its limits, and with the inclusion of the core urban area, the total requirement is expected to rise to 7.5 lakh.
CM Revanth instructed officials to prepare a detailed report on the number of streetlights required after including the new municipalities formed within and outside the ORR, and villages newly merged with these municipalities.
He stressed the need for a round-the-clock system which would monitor the installation and maintenance of LED streetlights.
Noting that the GHMC spends Rs 8 crore monthly on its maintenance, CM Revanth asked officials to look for alternatives, including the use of solar power, to minimise the expenditure.
On streetlights across Telangana, officials briefed stating the state currently has 16.16 lakh LED street lights and its operation as well as maintenance are being handled by an outsourced contract agency.
They suggested that if its responsibility is handed over to gram panchayat sarpanches, electricity could be checked.
Taking their suggestion, the chief minister ordered that gram panchayats should install and maintain the new LED lights and be monitored by the mandal parishad development officer (MPDO) at the mandal level.
