Alappuzha: Even as the Nilaavu project was a good initiative, full funding for the same was not provided, informed Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL). The company responded to news claiming that Rs 243 crore was wasted on the project.

EESL clarified that only Rs 61.3 crore of the allocated amount was received. The remaining Rs 2.9 crore, which was meant for the cost of bulbs, has been pending for the past three years. Although the plan was to install 10.5 lakh LED bulbs, only 3.7 lakh bulbs were actually purchased from EESL, and the payment for these bulbs was made accordingly.

EESL officials explained that the company was not involved in the implementation of the project. However, they pointed out that if 10.5 lakh old lights had been replaced with LEDs as originally intended, the project could have saved 46 million units of electricity annually, which would amount to a saving of Rs 18.4 crore (assuming Rs 4 per unit). In addition, it would have helped reduce carbon emissions by 33,000 tonnes per year, they said.