With the inauguration of Rs 2.3-crore LED street-lighting project of Rajkot Urban Development Authority (RUDA) by state Energy Minister Saurabh Patel, it became operational from April 14  evening. The project has been implemented by Philips Electronics India Limited.

RUDA has installed more than 400 LEDs to light up around Six kilometers long stretch of a four-lane road connecting Rajkot with Metoda GIDC (Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation) on the western outskirts of the city.

"We have made only the capital expenditure of Rs 2.3 crore for the project. For the next five years, Phillips will operate and maintain street-lights on this stretch, including paying the electricity bill. Not only this, the company will also pay Rs 15,000 per pole to RUDA for allow it to put its advertisements on them," RUDA chairman Ajay Bhadu. There are around 250 lampposts on the stretch and the authority is expecting Rs 3.75 lakh per annum for the next five years.

The chairman said the LEDs would save on energy as well. "A conventional sodium lamp used in street-lights uses 250 watts. But the LEDs in this project will consume only 100 watts. So, we shall be using 40 to 50 per cent less electricity on this segment," said Bhadu, adding this was the first-of-its-kind project on such a large scale in the state.