Solar lighting systems to 61000 rural houses in WB

Kolkata, June 3: West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency (WBREDA) has created a Master Plan to enlighten 61,000 households in rural Bengal in the next five years, including tea-garden workers in the hilly region.

WBREDA Chairman S P Gon Choudhury said, ''The Mega Plan has been worked out by us. We have started implementing a part through a pilot project.'' He said the plan is to take up three separate projects. The first one would be in Bankura where solar lighting would be possible in 10,000 households.

The project would be funded by MP Brinda Karat, state Tribal Affairs and Backward department and WBREDA.

''With an investment Rs 40 crore, another project would be taken up in Sunderbans, where seven per cent population is tribal. This project will cater to 40-45,000 households,'' he said.

Around 11,000 tea-garden workers' families in various tribal areas of North Bengal would come under this project with a total investment of Rs 11 crore. ''The project aims to improve the socio-economic conditions of the tea-garden workers of the state,'' he said.

After the project gets implemented, 36 lakh litres of kerosene would be saved annually and also help prevent pollution, he said.

UNI