Kalamassery municipality mulls energy-efficient alternatives for street lights

The mounting electricity bills following the use of conventional tube lights has prompted the Kalamassery municipal authorities to look for energy-efficient options.

The civic body’s Budget for 2026-27 fiscal to be presented on Friday (February 6, 2026) is likely to include projects to encourage the use of LED and solar-powered street lights as energy-efficient options. The municipality has drafted a project to replace tube lights with LED lights in the first phase of the project expected to cost around ₹75 lakh.

Municipal chairperson Jamal Manakkadan said the use of tube lights for street lighting had resulted in soaring electricity bills. “We had incurred up to around ₹2 crore annually as power consumption remained higher. It had caused a dent on the exchequer, and the council has decided to adopt energy-saving alternatives,” he added.

The Budget is expected to focus on improving basic infrastructure facilities across the wards. The municipality will be focussing on road improvement works. The authorities said special focus would be given to resolving drinking water scarcity in various wards.

The civic body had initiated steps to implement a water tank project near the Siberia hostel on the Cochin University of Science and Technology campus with assistance under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0 scheme. Waterlogging will also get priority as the municipality has plans to widen culverts and drains.