EESL sells 2 lakh LED bulbs in 15 days

It may be recalled that TN and Punjab were the two mainline states, which did not opt for the UJALA (Unnat Jyothi by Affordable LEDs For All), when the rest of the nation was covered by the scheme that envisaged sale of 9W LED bulbs at a cost of Rs 65. 

Tamil Nadu’s unofficial soft launch took place two weeks ago when the state government allowed the EELS to set up counters in 60 TNEB bill payment offices in Chennai. EESL officials said that 2 lakh LED bulbs were sold during this period in addition to the 64,555 procured by the Railways earlier.

Though the state government had said that the official launch was slated for June, the EELS has no information on it though the month has started. “We are yet to hear on this from the state government,” a top official said. 

“However, the reduced prices have resulted in good sales that we are planning to extend sale of LED bulbs at reduced prices in districts also,” he added. “We plan to open 15 counters in EB offices in Kancheepuram district in the first phase and cover the remaining 15 EB offices before the end of the month,” he said. The UJALA dashboard automatically updates after every 30 seconds recording each sale. The 2 lakh bulbs sold in TN will result in saving 7MW in peak power demand and Rs.14 crore annually. 

“A survey is currently underway to identify EB offices in both Vellore and Tiruvannamalai districts to set up EESL counters,” the official said. However, officials are hopeful that once the state government comes on board after the official launch, TN will also be interested in replacing street lamps with LED bulbs, which will halve power charges and thereby enable provision of more street lamps.