Mumbai: The iconic “Queen’s Necklace” which is no less than Mumbai’s identity may lose its charm because the BEST is reducing the height of the poles that will hold the new LED bulbs replacing the older sodium lamps. With the height of the poles reduced, the necklace design will not be significantly visible from a distance.
According to BEST, the height of the poles are reduced so that the lights are more focused on the street. BEST sources said that the new arrangement will have only two LEDs on one pole as against existing four sodium lamps per pole. “The height is reduced to ensure that the two LEDs throw enough light on the street,” said a senior BEST official requesting anonymity.
A meeting was held on January 12 between the BEST officials and Energy Efficient Services, the company which has been assignment to replace these lamps, to discuss the technicalities.
The official said, “We are skeptical that the new lights will be visible from a certain distance, as the height of the poles will be reduced.” The sodium lamps which glow golden are placed at a height of 14.5 meters. After switching these lights to LED the height of the poles will be reduced to 9 meters.
The official added, “The power of these LED bulbs will be the same as the sodium bulbs. But LED will help us save 60 percent on energy cost.”
There are a total of 4000 street light poles across the island city of which 506 will be replaced as pilot project starting from Marine Drive by January 31. At present, out of 506 street light poles, 492 have bulbs of 250 watt while another 14 have 400 watt bulbs.
