Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal said here on Tuesday that the installation of lED lights in Mumbai would reduce the street lights electricity bill of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation by 50 per cent and result in a saving of Rs8 crore to the civic body in a full year.
In a statement made within days after the Shiv Sena that rules the BMC went to town alleging corruption in the lED lights project undertaken by his Government, Goyal said that the process involving the contracts had been award of contract for purchase and installation of lED lights had been undertaken at the initiative of the states “in a transparent, honest manner” and “good rates have been obtained owing to the electronic bidding process followed” by his ministry. Quoting a study by Price Waterhouse Coopers on the Marine Drive promenade replacement, Goyal said that 70 per cent of the respondents had expressed satisfaction with the lighting intensity of the replaced lights and 86 per cent had said safety of vulnerable groups has been taken care off.
He said that even on issues such as reducing dark spots on Marine drive, awareness of electricity savings, white colour of the lights and enhancing heritage status of the Queens Necklace the survey reflected a positive opinion of the work done.