Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir government has failed to use power saving LEDs to light up streets and roads, which could result in saving of thousands of electricity units every year in this power-starved state.

Official sources said that replacing conventional streetlights with LEDs could result in saving of thousands of electricity units every year in the power-starved state where long-duration power cuts are a norm during both winter and summer months.

“The majority of the street and high-mast lights installed across the Srinagar and other towns of the state use conventional bulbs which consume more electricity and have become a burden on civic bodies. If all the lights are replaced with LEDs, it will save 50 per cent energy,” one of the officials of the PDD told KNS.

He said that an LED has a very long life, almost 50 times more than an ordinary bulb and 8-10 times that of a CFL and therefore it saves both energy and expenditure.

“LEDs should be installed on priority,” said on of the businessman of lalchock.

As per the data, there are 45,565 streetlights installed in capital cities 15,683 in Srinagar and 29,882 in Jammu by respective Municipal Corporations

Officials said despite displeasure shown by the Power Development Department (PDD), which has alleged that most of the lights were installed by corporations and former MLAs without following rules and as they failed to sign an agreement with the department crores of rupees remain unrecovered.

It is to mention here that in the past several years, under various civic projects, crores of rupees were spent on the installation of lights in Srinagar and Jammu. (KNS)