KMC mulls laboratory to examine quality of LED lights

Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is planning to set up a state-of-the-art laboratory for examining the quality of LED lights in its Central Store. The decision comes in the wake of several complaints from citizens regarding their inferior quality.

"We have been purchasing LED lights from a number of companies that deal with manufacture and supply of these lights. But the quality of the lights have been far below our expectations. We are receiving frequent complaints about such lights getting defunct within a few months of its installation. We have undertaken repair in some cases but the lights have again got out of order. So we have decided to set up a state-of-the-art laboratory for examining the quality before installing the LED lights," a senior official of the Central Store department of the KMC said.

There have been cases when even after being given a fit certificate to such lights, they have gone defunct and the officials of the lighting department have been flooded with complaints from residents across the city.

The official informed that the civic body has already started consulting experts on how to proceed in setting up of the laboratory, what will be the necessary equipment, how will the tests be conducted and other nitty gritty.

The setting up of the laboratory will entail an investment of Rs 2.5 crore.

Member Mayor-in-Council (Central Store) Tarak Singh has written to Mayor Firhad Hakim for giving the Central Store the permission to blacklist a noted company whose LED lights have been found to be of very inferior quality.

The KMC is gradually replacing all High Pressure Sodium Vapour lamp fittings (HPSV) and Metal Halide Fittings with LED lights to bring down the level of carbon emission and at the same time reduce consumption of electricity. Lights in the civic body's offices, health units, schools, compactor stations, markets, borough offices, ward health units, pumping stations, crematoriums will all have LED lights.

The Central Store department of the KMC has a plan of setting up a chemical laboratory for assessing the quality of bleaching powder, white lime that is spread for prevention of mosquito-borne diseases.