The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) might have won the national award for energy conservation by installing energy saving streetlights, but there are several areas in the city where the traditional High Pressure Mercury-Vapour discharge lamps (HPMV) have been installed, instead of the energy saving High Pressure Sodium-Vapour lamps (HPSV).

VMC opposition leader Chirag Zaveri alleged that there has been widespread irregularity in the installation of streetlights in the city and only selected areas have been given the new lights.

“Those VMC officials, who are boasting about winning the award for energy conservation, are in fact biased in providing basic facilities like streetlights to several societies. Some shocking facts will come to light if an inspection is conducted to check whether the streetlights are ‘on’ in the city. I am not surprised by the fact that VMC officials have saved energy by keeping several areas in the dark,” Zaveri said.

Subodh Shah, VMC streetlight executive engineer, however, maintained that the new HPSVs have been installed instead of HPMVs, only in the areas where fresh installation work of streetlights is in progress.

“There is no reason for us to keep certain parts of the city in the dark. We will carry out an inspection if at all such irregularities are present,” Shah said.

The city, Shah said, will have the new luminary fittings (HPSVs) by the end of 2009. “Although it depends on the funding, we will be installing the new technology lamps all over the city by the end of this year if all goes well,” he said.