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In power-starved Punjab, where citizens and industry face 10 to 12-hour power cuts daily, Jalandhar city officials have been installing “power-guzzling” bus stops for city bus services. Information gathered from Municipal Corporation, Jalandhar, (MCJ) revealed that 83 bus stops have already been set up in
Jalandhar with an additional 23 in the works. These stops are also being constructed
in Ludhiana.
Electricity Department experts have said that one bus stop will consume an average of 36 to 40 units of electricity per night for a collective total between 3,000 and 3,200 units – a total of nearly one lakh units monthly. Jalandhar PSEB Superintendent Engineer K.P.S. Klare said that in a power-hungry state like Punjab, economical CFL bulbs should be chosen over tubelights and bulbs, adding that such power consumption will ultimately lead to more power cuts. The electricity used for these stops could power a large village for a month.
As many as 50 to 65 tubelights are being installed at each stop and will be switched on for 10 to 12 hours between dusk and morning. Electronic information panels with arrival times and bus routes are also being installed.
Mayor Rakesh Rathor said the bus stands are being constructed on a built-operate and transfer (BOT) basis and that the private company bearing their costs will receive money from the advertisements adorning the stops. Proper lights, he said, are required to highlight the advertisements’ products. Though acknowledging the excessive number of tubelights, Rathor said the lighting is standard practice for such stands.
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