All You Need To Know About SDMC's LED Programme

On the National Energy Conservation Day which is celebrated every year on December 14, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) received a presidential honour in recognition for its efforts towards energy conservation and successful implementation of India's biggest LED (light-emitting diode) installation project. The National Energy Conservation Award was presented to SDMC Commissioner Dr Puneet Kumar Goel by President Ram Nath Kovind at Vigyan Bhawan during a ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Energy conservation through intelligent street lighting is one the key focus of India's smart cities mission. Lakhs of street lights have been revamped by LED lighting fixtures under the government's Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP). The led lighting system is more energy efficient than conventional sodium vapour lights, metal halides or CFLs.

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About the programme

According to a statement by the SDMC, use of eco-friendly LEDs has saved around nine crore units of energy under the Street Lighting National Programme. The SDMC also said that total connected load of 2.8 lakh sodium vapour street lights has been reduced from 37.50 MW to 18.31 MW, after the replacement of these lights with LED bulbs. Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal launched the second phase of the world's largest LED street light replacement programme in January 2017 in the SDMC area. The process involved installation of LED light in parks and dark spots. Following this, a dedicated SLNP app for SDMC called EESL SL Complaint App was also launched for prompt resolution of complaints on faulty street lights.

The initiative was led by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) of Ministry of Power which signed a tripartite agreement with BSES and SDMC for installation of 75,000 additional street lights with more focus on installation in parks. The objective was the reduction in electricity bill by 54 per cent and curb release of carbon dioxide gas by 44,000 tonnes per year. 

Also, memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the SDMC and Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) aimed to deliver solar panel on the rooftop of 400 municipal buildings. In the first phase, 40 buildings were selected for installation of 2.5 megawatt (mw) solar rooftop panels costing Rs 17 crore, which will be recovered within seven years. The SDMC commissioner said that the civic body will get free electricity up to 18 years and will be able to sell surplus power to the discoms.  

Also read: SDMC Budget 2019 Focuses On Better Sanitation, Education

Areas benefitted

The SDMC spans an area of 656.91 sq kilometres with a population of around 60 lakh. It comprises of 388 approved colonies, 86 rural villages, 81 urbanised villages, 111 unauthorised colonies, 252 unauthorised regularised colonies and 32 JJ resettlement colonies. Comprising of 104 wards, the SDMC area is sub-divided into Central, South, West and Najafgarh Zone.

Regions administered by the SDMC include localities in West Delhi namely Madipur, Rajouri Garden, Tilak Nagar, Janakpuri, Uttam Nagar and Dwarka. Popular residential destination in the suburb of Delhi, areas like Uttam Nagar and particularly Dwarka are witnessing growth for being a commercial hub and good connectivity to the investment corridor of Dwarka Expressway and Indira Gandhi International Airport. Residential properties in these areas have an average capital value of Rs 4,000 per sqft with prices of 1BHK apartment of 400 sqft starting at Rs 20 lakh.

Other areas of the SDMC include Najafgarh, Palam, Chhatarpur and RK Puram in southwest and Malviya Nagar, Deoli, Ambedkar Nagar and Greater Kailash in south Delhi. Areas on the precincts such as Badarpur, Tughlakabad and Okhla also come under the SDMC and are thriving industrial hubs. The Badarpur Thermal Power Station is a major supplier of power to south and east Delhi while Okhla is home to large pharma companies, packaging industries as well as MNCs.

South Delhi, on the contrary, has traditionally been a posh residential locality with average capital value of properties at Rs 30,000 per sqft.

The upcoming Metro link is set to bolster the connectivity in these regions, thus opening doors for new investment opportunities.