Mhow: Project worth lakhs on rooftop is now a mess

Mhow (Madhya Pradesh): A solar energy project was prepared eight years ago to illuminate the Civil Hospital. But, till date, the project has not come up and lakhs of rupees worth of solar plates kept on the roof of the hospital are falling into ruin. In 2014, the state government had prepared a plan to install solar plants in government buildings and hospitals. Under this plan, 65 solar plates worth about Rs 12 lakh were installed at the Civil Hospital. But the project has not started till date.

A 15 KV solar power plant was to be installed in the civil hospital, but the contractors of the company suddenly stopped work and disappeared. If the hospital administration uses the plants, the minor OT, hospital OPD and registration counter will also get the benefit during a power outage and the patients will also get a lot of relief. Installing the solar plates in the hospital would also lead to an increase in the emergency services. Use of generators installed in the hospital will decrease and the electricity bills will be cut.

This was the plan by the Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam of installing solar power plants at 200 hospitals and 700 police stations of the state. The responsibility of setting up the plants was given to Pragat Renewable Energy Ltd, Megatech Company, Pune, and Axicom Company, Noida. Apart from police stations and hospitals, schools, fish farming ponds, sericulture and horticulture would also have benefited from these solar plants, but the company did not show interest in this project and left it midway.

The contractors and technicians concerned had to install plates and other equipment, but the project is not complete yet. The government had to bear a loss of lakhs of rupees and, since the solar power plants could not be installed here, electricity bills of lakhs of rupees have to be paid by the hospital.

Since energy is being obtained from solar panels at the local Red Cross Hospital, the electricity cost of this establishment has decreased by 85%, but the plates at the government hospital are lying around uselessly. The government should investigate the whole matter at a high level.

Published on: Wednesday, March 23, 2022, 12:20 AM IST