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Domestic Violence
Vigilance Bureau quick to book, slow to prosecute
Another international cricket stadium comes up in Nadaun
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Concern over green felling
Target: Minimising losses to growers due to hailstorms
Locals resent delay in shifting of sabzi mandi
The new sabzi mandi complex in Palampur. Photo by the writer
vignettes
Himachal diary
Orchardists rue short supply of certified apple plants
Copenhagen, hills and carbon neutrality
HRTC outsourcing work despite 3 workshops
Youth festival: Department’s casual attitude to the fore
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Domestic Violence
Shimla, January 5 An indication about women no longer wanting to take a raw deal is the fact that 1015 of them approached the authorities seeking justice under the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act, 2005. However, with 50 per cent of these cases coming from the biggest district of Kangra and Shimla city alone is a pointer that awareness about the Act is yet to reach women in remote and interior parts. As many as 306 complaints were received from women in Kangra district, which probably indicates that women are at the receiving end, a problem more common in the border areas. In fact even in the past more cases of women-related crimes, including dowry-related deaths, have been reported from Kangra. However the fact that Kangra is the biggest district is also a reason for a higher number of such cases. The fact that over 250 cases under the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act were registered in Shimla city alone shows the high levels of awareness among women here. "It is not that there has been a sudden spurt in domestic violence against women but the fact that awareness levels have gone up resulting in women seeking justice," says Prabha, Deputy Director, Social Justice and Empowerment. The State Commission for Women, too, is being approached by women with almost 500 cases pending with it. "Our endeavour is to save a family from disintegrating and as such efforts are made towards reconciliation, a task in which we have succeeded to a great extent," emphasizes Ambika Sood, chairperson, State Commission for Women. She says the biggest achievement, according to her, is the fact that in 195 cases reconciliation was arrived at between women and their husbands. The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment has so far appointed 370 Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) officials as protection officers to provide easy accessibility to harassed women who wish to lodge complaints. "In fact in over 40 cases, the commission took suo motu notice of reports of women being harassed by husbands, in-laws or others and registered cases so that they could get justice," says Sood. The Social Justice Department has notified 14 voluntary organisations as service providers so as to extend help and guide women in need of help. To ensure that there is proper implementation of the Act, social workers, lawyers and human rights activists have also been involved in the process.
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Vigilance Bureau quick to book, slow to prosecute
Solan, January 5 The bureau had nabbed several high-ranking officials from Solan district in the past two years, including former drug controller Sher Singh, IAS official Sanjay Gupta and additional SP Mahinder Singh. While 16 major cases surfaced in the district in the last year, it was worth mentioning that the progress in such cases were rather slow. For instance, the bureau had failed to file challan in the case of former drug controller Sher Singh, against whom two cases - one under the Prevention of Corruption Act and another under the Disproportionate Assets Act - was registered after his arrest in February 2008. Though challan was filed in the first case, the other was still being investigated. The government, however, reinstated the official after several months of suspension. In another case relating to IAS Sanjay Gupta, the challan was yet to be filed, despite the official being nabbed in July last year. The government, on contrary, reinstated the official overriding the report of a high powered committee, headed by the chief secretary, which had recommended that he should not be reinstated. Interestingly, case registered against Health and Ayurveda Minister Dr Rajiv Bindal, during the tenure of the former Congress government, which involved irregularities in appointments made in the local municipal committee, was lost in official files and ceased to figure anywhere. Though the bureau was now patting its back for having made it online, one wondered what purpose it would solve when the pace of work was seemingly slow. DIG Bureau SPS Verma said the delay was only in cases where disproportionate assets were involved and such cases required thorough investigation which was time consuming. He said challans were duly filed in cases where officials were nabbed after laying traps within six months. Verma added that the case involving Dr Bindal was being scrutinised. He further said the lack of staff impedes speedier action as their priorities include nabbing officials vis-à-vis information available.
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Another international cricket stadium comes up in Nadaun
Hamirpur, January 5 Named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the stadium was inaugurated by Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal on December 25. The stadium has been built at a cost of about Rs 5 crore in a record time of 10 months. It possesses all modern facilities. The sprawling stadium is spread over 117 kanal and has seven pitches of international standards, including fast bouncy pitches where matches can be held. Another special feature of this stadium is that a match can be organised within half an hour after rain and teams and fans would not have to worry about washing out of the play due to rain. Situated on the banks
of the Beas, the stadium has a capacity of 3,000 spectators, which would be increased later on. The pitches have been prepared with special clay brought from Rajkot and grass for the stadium was brought from Ghaziabad. Eighty four water sprinklers have been installed at the stadium for watering the grass and pitches, which automatically disappear after sprinkling. This stadium has a dormitory to accommodate 40 players, besides two dressing rooms for them. Fibre sheets fixed on the viewers’ stands have been imported from Italy to ensure a better view for the audience. HPCA president Anurag Thakur said, “The stadium would provide an additional venue to organise international matches in the state and as the climate is moderate at this place it would be liked by players and spectators.” “While we are looking forward to hold international cricket matches here, the HPCA would also construct basket ball, volley ball, badminton, kabbadi, judo, boxing, hockey, wrestling and football courts in the next four months”, he adds.
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Concern over green felling
Palampur, January 5 The information gathered from official sources revealed that to make way for the execution of over 24 power projects and cement plants in the state, as many as 20,000 trees were axed in the past five years. Even reserve forests have not been spared. However in papers, its number has been shown much less. Despite the fact that there is a ban on green felling in the state, still a number of the areas in these district forestlands have gone barren and no tree is seen on various hilltops, particularly in Kullu, Shimla and Kinnaur districts. Besides, power projects and cement plants being set up in the state have also played havoc with forests and wildlife centuries. It is on record that 20,000 trees were axed for the setting up of cement plants in Solan and Bilaspur districts of the state between 1995 and 2005. The regular extraction of limestone from various forests for these plants has further caused extensive damage to the green cover of the state. It is evident from the fact that if one goes through the recent reports and official records of the state forest department, illicit felling has gone up and it has taken a new turn in the state. In the past five years, over 100 cases of illicit felling and smuggling of timber were registered and timber worth crores of rupees was also sized. Though the state government had already set up forest police stations, they have failed to check the green felling and smuggling of timber. If no early measures were adopted, the situation would become alarming and
the state would lose its forest cover. It is on record that in Kullu district, forest
officials have registered cases under the HP Forest Act against a few companies executing power projects who were found involved in the illicit felling, but these cases were yet to reach in any logical end so far. The proximity of our political leaders with the owners of cement plants and power companies has caused heavy loss to the environment of the state. Till date, the government has failed to initiate any action against erring power companies and owners of cement plants. In many parts of the state, local residents had come out on roads and lodging their protest against the setting up of cement plants and power projects being anti-environment industry, but the government had become a mute spectator. Instead of supporting the cause of local public, leaders were protecting the interests of cement plant owners and farmers were being forced to sell their lands on throwaway prices to these companies. It may be recalled that forests not only contribute in maintaining ecological balance, but also play a significant role in the economic development of the state. They provide physical sustenance to the fragile eco-system and also act as a source of raw material for rural and industrial application. In papers, the total area of the state is 37,591 sq km, out of which only 11,780 sq km is under tree plantation. The economists in 1995 have put
the total value of the state's forest wealth at Rs 39,000 crore. It is evident from various surveys and studies conducted by non-governmental agencies that the drive for the plantation of more trees in the state has badly failed to gain momentum in the past 10 years. The state has planted trees only on papers and there is nothing worthwhile on the earth. Even the survival percentage of saplings has come down.
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Target: Minimising losses to growers due to hailstorms
Shimla, Jamuary 5 The worry of the apple and other fruit growers in higher hill areas is not hailstorms, the frequency of which has declined appreciably over the past two decades, but the lack of snow and winter rain. The snowline has receded and the apple belt, particularly the Shimla region, which accounts for almost 80 per cent of the state's produce, has not been receiving adequate and timely snow. Considered as white manure for the orchards, snow not only helps in ensuring the minimum chilling hours required for a good crop but also maintaining the moisture content in the soil. The apple belt virtually had a snow-less winter last season and the impact was visible in the reduced output which declined from 2.56 crore standard boxes in 2008 to 1.40 crore this year. Worse, inadequate snow during the winter invariably leads to water crisis during the summer as the hitherto perennial sources from which water is supplied go dry at the very onset of the summer. Out of 8000-odd water supply schemes almost 25 to 30 per cent go dry and availability in another 20 to 25 per cent schemes declines appreciably. The Irrigation and Public Health Department is forced to supply water through tankers in worst-hit areas. Cloud seeding technology has been successfully used by China, the USA and some other countries to enhance precipitation. Harvesting clouds for snow to spread the elusive white cover over the mid and upper hills will not only stabilise fruit production but also help recharge the water sources. In the changing weather pattern, marked with an increasing number of cloudy days and lack of snow, particularly in the first half of the winter , the situation is ideal for inducing enhanced precipitation using cloud-seeding technology. The equipment the government is procuring under a pilot project is the acetylene-fired anti-hail cannon, which will provide effective protection over a radius of 1km and help cover an area of 80 to 100 hectares. The cannon generates hail, disruptive ionising (high-energy) shockwaves at a great frequency in the air at every four to five seconds which reach the high atmosphere (15,000 m) having extremely low temperatures (-50°C) and reverberate the clouds and the troposphere, transferring a large ionisation potential to disrupt the growth of hail stones. The gun uses weather data provided by hi-tech radars and the direction of the cannon is adjusted accordingly. However, it is effective only if used before the start of hail formation, and once hails are formed, nothing can be done. However, more versatile cannons which could be used for cloud seeding also are available, though slightly expensive. In certain countries old anti-aircraft guns have been successfully used for cloud seeding. An anti-hail gun will have limited utility as hailstorms is a freak phenomenon, whereas a dual-purpose equipment will be much more useful as it could be used for cloud seeding whenever the skies are overcast, which is quite often the case. An anti-hail gun costs around Rs 1.50 crore and the government has submitted a Rs 27 crore project to the Centre for the purpose. The funds could be put to better use by including the option of cloud seeding in the project.
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Locals resent delay in shifting of sabzi mandi
Palampur, January 5 The complex was built at a cost of Rs 5 crore by the state government with an aim to shifting the existing sabzi mandi, which is situated in the heart of the town and has become a nuisance for the general public. Earlier, the marketing board took over five years for its completion as the project was hanging fire because of political reasons. Now, when the complex has already been inaugurated, none in the administration is taking interest for the allotment of shops. According to information, the State Marketing Board constituted an allotment committee twice, but it failed to reach any conclusion to allot the shops. Political interference in the functioning of the board has made the matters worse. There is a long queue of aspirants to get shops in the new complex and various political leaders have been making efforts to get shops for their supporters. Now, another committee, headed by Kangra deputy commissioner RS Gupta, has been constituted to finalise the allotment of shops. The committee is yet to meet. Locals have expressed resentment over the delay in the shifting of the Mandi, which they have been demanding for the past 10 years. The existing sabzi mandi lies in the middle of the town and has become a traffic hazard. Besides, it has created insanitary conditions in its surroundings much to the inconvenience of people residing in the nearby areas. Earlier, the foundation stone of the new sabzi mandi was laid thrice but due to a lack of funds and political will, the project kept delaying for 10 years. It was only after the then Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh transferred land from the Animal Husbandry Department to the State Marketing Board that funds were sanctioned for its construction. RK Sood, president, Palampur Welfare Forum, regretted that despite specific orders of the Chief Minister to shift the mandi immediately to the new complex, the district marketing board had failed to do so.
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Education was low priority in princely states
by Shriniwas Joshi The princely states of Shimla hills gave low priority to education. The princes of the tiny states thought that education would make people aware of their rights who would then clamour for better facilities and education, therefore, was low on their priority. Kanwar Satyendra Singh from Solan royalty, who lives in Amar Bhawan adjacent to Government Dilip Secondary School, told me that in 1920s there were only four high schools from Kalka to Kinnaur - Solan, Shimla, Kotkhai and Rampur. The 1910 gazetteer of Baghat (capital Solan) reads: "There is one school, Anglo-vernacular middle, at Solon (mark the spellings), with a staff of four masters, with an average attendance of 80 boys." It was then a hard nut to crack seeking affiliation with Panjab University, Lahore, for upgrading the school to high standard. Durga Singh, a noble and pious ruler, took over the reins of the state of Baghat in 1911. He planned allround development of the state, including education. His administrative acumen in the state earned him the title of Raja in 1928. An example of his astuteness is that the name of Queen Victoria of England and the first Empress of India, who died in 1901 having ruled the United Kingdom for more than 63 years, was utilised by Durga Singh to seek affiliation. He named the school as Victoria Dilip, Dilip Singh being his father. It got immediate affiliation in 1920 and continued to function as such till India became independent. I took a round of the school and found that the first name in the honours board was that of Rattan Chand in 1921 and the second was that of TS Negi in 1924. He was once a Chief Secretary of the state government who later became a minister in Thakur Ram Lal's Cabinet and later the Speaker. Negi studied here as there were no schools in Kinnaur and most students of the upper districts of the present Himachal Pradesh used to come to Solan, where the weather was comfortable - neither too cold nor too hot. The strength of the school then used to be 2000 plus. Despite being upgraded to a senior secondary status, it has reduced to around 950 now, and still a good chunk of the students is the outsiders who live in groups in rented accommodation. Is it because of the proximity of the town to the plains or the weather conducive to studies? It is not always the names in the honours board that bring glory to the school. One name that makes Victoria Dilip School exalted is that of Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon. Who Dhillon? Remember the historical trial of three officers of the Indian National Army, Dhillon, Sehgal and Shah Nawaz, which began on November 5, 1945, at the Red Fort, Delhi, by a General Court Martial on the charge of waging a war against the King. The resentment of the people then against the trial used to echo in the shouting of slogans like "Lal quile se aayi awaaz, / Sehgal, Dhillon, Shah Nawaz, / Teenon ki ho umar daraz." The verdict of their being guilty was announced on January 1, 1946, but the British had no guts to 'hang them by the neck till death'. They were released by an order of Lord Auchinleck, Commander-in-Chief of India. The patriot Dhillon had his schooling in the late 1920s at Victoria Dilip High School, Solan.
Tailpiece
A head teacher heard terrible commotion in one of the classrooms. He rushed in and spotting a taller boy making the harshest noise dragged him to his office and told him to wait there. Returning to the classroom, he lectured the class for half an hour about the importance of good behaviour. He concluded with "Are there any questions?" A girl stood up to say: "Please sir, may we have our teacher back now?"
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Himachal diary After implementing the Rs 80-crore 'Atal Bijli Bachat Yojna' under which over 64 lakh energy-efficient compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) were given free of cost to over 16 lakh domestic power consumers, the government has taken another initiative to save energy by launching the scheme for popularising LED (light emitting diode)-based streetlights (see photo).
Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal formally launched the scheme by switching on the first LED streetlight installed under the scheme on The Mall. The board expects to save energy worth Rs. 15 to Rs. 20 lakh per annum with the implementation of the scheme. The plan is to install LED streetlights all over Shimla town in a timebound manner. Energy conservation is a top priority in the government plan to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate the effects of global warming. No to forest land for housing
With the Forest Department refusing to clear the transfer of forest land at Tutu for housing, the Rs 11-crore project under the Jawahar Lal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission is likely to be delayed. The Centre had sanctioned two housing projects worth Rs 21 crore under which over 600 dwelling units were to be constructed at Tutu and Dhalli. However, joint commissioner of the local municipal corporation K.K.Sharma, who is the nodal officer for the mission, said efforts were being made to speed up the project by constructing both colonies at Dhalli. A fresh project was being prepared to accommodate the two colonies for which enough land was available. In fact, the Centre has also sanctioned a third housing project under the mission for which a detailed project report is being prepared. The corporation had decided to construct it on its own land at Shiv Nagar in Kusumpti. The projects will be executed by HIMUDA.
In the service of poor
Former chairman of the state media advisory committee Rajinder Rana, after resigning from the post in the wake of a controversy a few months back, is now concentrating more on philanthropic activities. He has been organising various activities for the welfare of the poor and the underprivileged through his social organization, Sarva Kalyankari Sabha. He has held a number of health camps, sports competitions and other events to help the needy. Rana has also collaborated with a Jalandhar-based hospital to arrange free treatment for poor patients. Through its office at Sujanpur Tihra, the Sarva Kalyankari Sabha has started registering patients for treatment in hospitals at Chandigarh and Jalandhar. Rana says that the sabha will arrange free treatment, including major surgeries, in select hospitals and it has tied up with a hospital at Jalandhar run by an NRI doctor for the purpose. (Contributed by Rakesh Lohumi and D.P. Gupta)
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Orchardists rue short supply of certified apple plants
Kullu/Nauni, January 5 “We have planted spur varieties bought from the university about six-seven years ago, but they have not yielded fruits so far,” says Narinder Chauhan, an orchardist from Kiari Kotkhai. "We only trusted the traditional Royal varieties as these are tried and trusted,” asserts Pramod Chauhan, another orchardist from Dakal, Kotkhai. The university has given different varieties of apple plants raised at its three fruit research stations at Bajaura, Nauni, Mashobra and Kandaghat to farmers for plantations beginning mid-December. But farmers have been at the receiving end as the prolonged dry spell has made it difficult to plant new fruit trees this season although the demand for certified plant material has gone up significantly this year for all types of fruit plants like apple, stone fruit etc. The FRSs have sold over 45,000 apple and other stone fruit plants to growers in the first week of January on first come-first serve basis. The scientists have advised farmers to plant new plants in January-February as it is the best period. But the farmers have kept their finger crossed this time, as there is a little moisture in soil due to the month-long dry spell, which is still continuing. “We have bought apple plant for Rs 20 per plant from FRS, Nauni, to raise new orchards, but we are not sure whether the plant will survive or not in this drought-like situation”, say HK Verma from Thana, Baghi apple belt, and Rajiv Machhan, a young orchardist from Kutara. “We have been ensured by the scientists that the spur and vance delicious apple varieties would survive in the lower altitude even with a little moisture content”, the growers says. JC Chandel, in charge of FRS, Nauni, says they have stock of over 25,000 fruit plants raised in the nursery this season. “More than 300 farmers have bought about 100 plants each for plantation in the apple belt from us,” he adds. Chandel says the plants are raised on the rootstocks and seedlings with sign woodcut from mother trees at places as high as Tabo in Spiti and Kinnaur where trees are in a disease-free climate. The spurs and vance delicious varieties are best suited for shady and lower altitudes and top and chief red varieties are best suited for the higher elevation, he adds. The demand for plants for apple and other fruits like plum, peaches, cherry, pomegranate has soared in Kullu district. Many farmers went without plants as FRU Bajour centre has just 18,000 plants raised in its 21-acre nursery. The stock went out of stock and it is difficult to get genuine plant material from private nurseries, rue Tek Singh and Ramesh Thakur, both farmers from Sarsai, Kullu. Dr Jayant Kumar, in charge of FRS, Bajoura in Kullu, says the demand for university plants has increased manifold as the fruit is fetching better prices in the market. “We had limited stocks but demand is more both for apple and stone fruits in the district”, he adds. Scientists say drought can hit the survival rate of fresh plantation, but it is expected that snow or rain will make up for the loss of moisture in the soil in the coming days. The farmers can go for planting trees in January and February in the low altitude areas where they can plant even till March, scientists say. Dr AS Rehelia, professor and head, fruit research department of the university, says the plants are raised on healthy disease-free rootstocks seedlings. “There is a certification committee of the university, which screens and tests each plant before these are selected for plantation for farmers. Plants rejected by the committee are burnt”, he adds. Dr Rehalis says fruit set may be delayed due to other factors like climate, soil and fertilisers inputs, but the dwarf spur varieties yield fruit in three to four years, he claims.
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Copenhagen, hills and carbon neutrality
Dalhousie, January 5 Another important factor is “carbon credits”. It means if a place has more greenery and forests (i.e. more oxygen generation and more carbon absorption) that generate more oxygen vis a vis the pollutants generated by industrial units in that particular area, it get a credit in the market for having a clean development mechanism (CDM), and these credit points can be traded off in the international market like any other commodity. The question is: Is Himachal Pradesh ready to deal with the emerging issues of environmental problems that we face today? The issue of carbon credits depends on developing CDM as a development parameter. The state government under the successive regimes has been harping upon preserving and improving environment and ecology in the state, but, in fact, the focus has always been on short-term economic gains. At this point today, if one was to undertake an honest survey of all development projects being undertaken in the state, it would be found that most of these were flouting environmental norms openly. Carbon neutrality cannot be achieved merely by word of mouth; it requires sincere inputs and a dedicated approach in preserving the natural heritage, which has been put into jeopardy over the past two decades. In Chamba region alone, hydropower projects have been a major cause of deforestation, thereby depriving people of their natural heritage under the carrot of providing them with jobs and development opportunities. Several mini and macro-hydropower projects are coming up in Chamba, Bharmour, Churah and other areas. Almost all road projects are being pursued without keeping environmental restraints in mind. Whether it is the Dalhousie-Kohladi-Chamba road, the Ladh-Sangrehan road or the Saho project, no rules as regards debris dumping or compensatory afforestation are being followed. Vast tracts of the Kalatop-Khajjiar carbon credit banks have been put up for de-notification to accommodate this short-sighted view of development. While on the one hand local people are being deprived of their timber rights, on the other had these projects are ruining forest areas. Ill-planned tourism projects, cement factories, power projects and commercial housing schemes are coming up all over, destroying this green gold without any proper thought to the carrying capacity of the land or the destruction of natural resources. The climate change conference in Copenhagen marked a change in attitude towards environmental awareness. People have slowly begun to come out of their cocooned shells and realised the fact that there is a danger to human existence. But are our politicians and the industrial giants paying any heed to these clamours for survival? In hill states like Himachal Pradesh, politicians take advantage of the fact that the people in such areas are not so vociferous. New power, road, industrial and commercial projects are being pushed forward at a reckless pace, without any contemplation about the irreparable damage being caused to the environment. Short-term economic gains are ruining our long-term survival prospects. If the people do not wake up to the gravity of the situation and rise in dissent against such recklessness on the part of policymakers, the precious time would be lost and it would not be possible to undo the damage.
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HRTC outsourcing work despite 3 workshops
Nurpur, January 5 The HRTC has three workshops in the state. These are at Jassur (Nurpur), Parvanu and Mandi. The facility of body fabrication is available at all these workshops. Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir transport authorities get their vehicles fabricated at these workshops. The NHPC and Himachal Pradesh Agriculture University also make use of the facilities available here. Getting fabrication work done from a private firm in Haryana had evoked a sharp reaction among HRTC employees. Recently, a team of HRTC officials visited that place to inspect the fabrication work. State spokesman and chief adviser of the HRTC employees federation (INTUC) Pradeep Baloria has strongly opposed the practice of getting bus bodies fabricated from outside the state on contract basis. HRTC Managing Director Sumesh Goyal said the fabrication work was being got done from outside the state as the facilities available at the HRTC workshop were not adequate. Moreover, the HRTC was unable to invest crores on modernising and expansion of its existing workshops. So, the management preferred to get the work done from private parities, he said.
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Youth festival: Department’s casual attitude to the fore
Mandi, January 5 The festival evoked a poor response despite it is open for youth in the age group of 15-35 years. In the folk dance and song competition, 12 teams from each district participated whereas only five to seven teams participated in seven other competitions. The artistes presented a good show despite the odds. The freezing atmosphere inside the venue acted as deterrent for the performers, as they had to put extra clothing. The venue wore a deserted look, as most chairs in the hall were vacant. Interestingly, the in charges of each cultural troupe were the district sports officer (DSOs), who had little knowledge of the competitions. The department had not made any efforts to involve rural artistes, revealed insiders. “The Nehru Yuva Kendra, Yuvak Mandals and Mahila Mandals are there in rural Himachal, but they hardly participate in the youth festival, just because department holds it as a ritual,” said a noted performer, who wished not to be named. The department has announced Rs 1 lakh as prize money for nine categories, which is a meagre amount, the participants rued. Deputy director DSYA Suman Rawat said the department had improved the level of the festival and had tried its best to encourage participation. The best performers will be selected for the national level festival, she added. During the prize distribution ceremony, chief guest Gulab Singh said the government had sanctioned Rs 15 crore for sports and youth affairs this year, increasing the previous budget by 30 per cent.
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Palampur, January 5
Dalhousie, January 5
Under the scheme sponsored by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, all 214 streetlight points on The Mall between Chhota Shimla and Boileauganj and from Scandal Point to Sanjauli will be replaced by highly energy efficient LED light fixtures. An official said 130 additional energy-efficient lightpoints would also be installed in the capial under the project. LED lights are much more energy-efficient than CFLs . A 70-watt LED (light-emitting diode) light installed on The Mall on a trial basis consumed only 12 units in two weeks whereas a normal streetlight alongside it logged 36 unit. Thus, the switchover to LED lights could help save energy almost to the extent of 70 per cent.