Five lights of 3 watts and 5 watts efficiency will be provided to beneficiaries Vellore is one of the four districts in Tamil Nadu selected by the State government for fitting of LED (light-emitting diode) lights in the free solar-powered green houses being constructed against the allotment for 2012-13 under the Chief Minister’s Solar Powered Green Houses Scheme (CMSPGHS), according to R. Nanthagopal, Collector of Vellore and N. Srinivasan, Project Director, District Rural Development Agency (DRDA). Five 9-watt CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps) were provided under the allotment for 2011-12. Under the scheme of providing LED lights, five lights of 3 watts and 5 watts efficiency would be provided. Under the allotment for 2012-13, the LED lights would be supplied and the wiring done by M/s. Minda, the agency entrusted with the solar electrical work by the Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency (TEDA), while other electrical equipments such as holders would have to be purchased by the beneficiary. If the LED light scheme was found successful, it would be continued for the year 2013-14 as well. In 2013-14, the agency would undertake all the works including the supply of LED lamps and other equipments, and the wiring. Talking to newspersons after inspecting a Green House built for beneficiary Neelavathi Govindasamy under the allotment for 2013-14 in Rajakovil in Kondasamudram village panchayat in Gudiyatham block on Tuesday, Mr. Nanthagopal and Mr. Srinivasan said that the solar panel would be provided in the beneficiary’s house after a survey to be done by the agency. They said that the solar panels have so far been fitted only in 3,301 houses, out of the 3,719 green houses built under the allotment for 2011-12. The work of fixing the panels was in progress in the remaining 418 houses. The agency personnel who are currently engaged in fitting the panels in Erode district would visit Vellore district by November end or early December and commence the work of fixing the solar panels and providing LED lights for the houses built under the allotment for 2012-13, they said. Mr. Srinivasan said that the government has decided to fit solar panels in 500 village panchayat offices and 50 panchayat union offices at the State level. A sum of Rs. 5 lakh from the MLAs’ Constituency Development Fund of each MLA would be allotted for the provision of solar panels in the village panchayat and panchayat union offices. The allotment for Vellore district is yet to be made. New office buildings Mr. Nanthagopal said that government allotted funds for construction of new office buildings for 10 village panchayats in the district during 2013-14. The office building for the Sengunram village panchayat, which he inspected on Tuesday, was in an advanced stage of progress, while the buildings in the remaining nine village panchayats were in various stages of progress. They would be completed before the end of the financial year, he said. The Project Director of DRDA said that the government has sanctioned the construction of new office buildings for two panchayat unions in Vellore district, viz., Vellore and Kaniyambadi, each at a cost of Rs. 2 crore. Each building would have a ground floor and first floor. The existing buildings would be demolished and new ones constructed in their place, he said.