30 slums to have solar lights: KMC

Kolkata: In a bid to fight pollution, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has decided to install solar lights in the city’s slums.

The initiative taken by the slum development department of the civic body confirmed that it plans to install these lights before the Bengali New Year.

In the initial phase, about 30 slums will be lit with solar energy. Some of the areas include Shyambazar, Girish Park, Kidderpore, Dhakuria etc. This will be part of KMC’s efforts to switch to green and clean energy. Millennium Post in its March 18 report had highlighted that as part of the joint initiative by the KMC slum development department and the Environment and Heritage department under the National Clean Air Programme for environmental improvement of slum areas, the civic body plans to initiate solar lighting system for prevention of air pollution as well as saving of conventional electricity.

Further, as part of this initiative, the KMC is also planning to provide smoke-less ovens to the slum people in days to come. For slum development, Rs 206.94 crore has been allocated in the 2023-24 financial year.

Mayor Firhad Hakim highlighted that the slum development department of KMC has several projects in the pipeline in terms of providing affordable housing under the Banglar Bari scheme to the “economically weaker sections” of society.