KOCHI: The Congress councillors of Kochi corporation have questioned Cochin Smart Mission Ltd’s installation of allegedly defective LED streetlights. Staging a protest in front of the CSML office on Wednesday, opposition members said streetlights in Thammanam, Kaloor, Mundemveli, Chullikkal and other divisions are malfunctioning.
“The corporation spends Rs 1.30 crore a month to illuminate the city’s streetlights. In a bid to enhance energy conservation, CSML was tasked with installing 40,400 LED streetlights by June this year. The Rs 40-crore project was intended to help the civic body save big on its electricity bill,” said opposition leader Antony Kureethara.
CSML had claimed that the new LED lights will reduce the corporation’s monthly electricity bill for streetlights to Rs 29 lakh.
“The project was awarded through a tender and includes a seven-year operation and maintenance windown, along with a five-year warranty. However, the operational lights were replaced with new LED lights by CSML, of which most of them are not in working order,” said Kureethara.
As per the contract, the defective lights are to be replaced within 24 hours, but this has not been adhered to.
There is suspicion that the contractor may be using substandard lights, prompting calls for an investigation by a technical committee.
Kureethara criticised the contractor for the delays and raised concerns about the future of the project, if such issues persist during the initial phase. With the contract period nearing its end, only 20% of the work has been completed.