LUCKNOW: Ayodhya may soon be changed into a solar city as Larsen & Toubro (L&T), the firm involved in the construction of temple on Ram Janmabhoomi premises has been entrusted with making a detailed project report to bring the plan on the ground soon.
As per the highly placed sources, the decision was taken to keep its power requirements in the future. The makeover of Ayodhya, into Navya Ayodhya, the upcoming Ram temple complex, and other attractions will have huge power requirements and it would be met with green power, the panels of which would be installed on rooftops, said the sources.
The sources also claimed that the state government was contemplating amending Solar Policy, 2017 to provide more incentives to residents opting for rooftop solar panels to replicate the Ayodhya model in other cities, especially those of religious importance.
The DPR prepared by L&T provides for the installation of solar panels on roofs of houses, government buildings, commercial and industrial establishments. This will be treated as the pilot project in the first phase after which some other cities will also be identified for a similar development,” said a senior official Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA) said.
An L&T survey found that Ayodhya’s 340,000 population, living in 81,000 households consumes 281 million units of power annually.
As per the NEDA officials, it is a four-pronged strategy in Ayodhya -- solar power generation from ground-mounted utility-scale and solar plants, arranging solar cooking for community kitchens for devotees visiting the Ram Temple, fulfilling energy requirement of the Shri Ram Temple Complex from solar and other renewable sources.
Simultaneously, the NEDA has also proposed changes to the state’s solar policy, seeking more incentives to encourage people, government, semi-government and commercial bodies to install rooftop panels. The amendment proposals were sent to the government, which was likely to take a call on the issue soon, said the officials.