LED lights will last longer than conventional high bay lights

ADB has agreed to part-fund KMC's LED project in the first leg of phase II of the Kolkata Environment Improvement Project (KEIP).From February, work on installing LED lights will begin in Bidhan Sarani, led high bay light, Amherst Street, Loudon Street, Camac Street, Bondel Road, Ballygunge Circular Road, Gurusaday Road and Alipore Road, among other streets.

Work is expected to complete by July, said a KMC lighting department official. "Initially, we have decided to install 15,000 LED lights. It will cost us Rs 50 crore. Since we wanted to install environment-friendly lights, we opted for LED," said municipal commissioner Arnab Roy.

LED lights' energy efficiency drove KMC to opt for it. According to a senior KMC official, the new technology would save at least 40% energy.

According to an estimate, the KMC lighting department has to pay CESC Rs 4 crore every month for lighting around 2 lakh street lights. "Apart from lowering this bill, LED lights will last longer than conventional high bay lights. Going by an assurance from the multinational company, the new lights will have a 70,000 hour lifespan," said Manzar Iqbal, KMC's present member, mayor-in-council (lighting).