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Two government schools yet to get solar panels due to infra issues in Ludhiana

By, Ludhiana
Jun 21, 2024 10:16 PM IST

The district education office (DEO) had recently instructed government schools in the district to update the status of solar panels for their respective buildings, along with the amount of energy produced by them

While other government schools are availing benefits of solar panels installed in their premises as the amount of their electricity bill gets deducted from the power generated by these panels, two schools in the city, Government Senior Secondary School (GSSS), Jagraon Bridge, and GSSS, Engine Shed, are denied the benefit of the same due to infrastructure issues.

Government Senior Secondary School, Jagraon Bridge. (Gurpreet SIngh/HT)
Government Senior Secondary School, Jagraon Bridge. (Gurpreet SIngh/HT)

The district education office (DEO) had recently instructed government schools in the district to update the status of solar panels for their respective buildings, along with the amount of energy produced by them. They were also required to provide the details of present meter load of their schools, the number of total students, approximate distance from meter to solar plants and whether shadow free area is available for installation (in square feet).

Principal of GSSS, Engine Shed, Sukhmanderpal Singh said his school was among the first to apply for the scheme. “When the people concerned from the department came to inspect the building for the same purpose, but they denied installing solar panels stating that the roof must be concrete and ours is a tin roof and cannot be made concrete as the building is old and the base is weak. We cannot even build a third storey in our school,” he said.

Balbir Kaur, Principal GSSS, Jagraon Bridge, mentioned that the school building belonged to the department of railways and the official request had been sent to railway officials. “Net metering has not been initiated by the railways yet, but last year I had a word with them and also sent an official request. Now, when the officials concerned would visit and inspect, only then the installation of solar panels would be done,” she said. She also informed that the school had been paying electricity bills out of amalgamated funds.

Highlighting the benefits, one of the principals, of schools where solar panels are installed, said the schools were able to save as much as 2.5 to 3 lakh every year as the electricity bill is nearly zilch now. “High and senior secondary schools used to receive an electricity bill of nearly 3 lakh every year, which the schools could now use for development works and for paying salaries of watchmen, which we did not receive from the government for months now,” the Principal added.

DEO (secondary) Harjinder Singh remarked, “This is the state government’s plan and we are trying to cover each and every school. One of these schools does not have a concrete roof and in another one, either the railways have to install solar panels or the school needs to seek permission from railway department, then only the process could be initiated.”

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