NEW DELHI: The Indian home ministry has declared a project to replace floodlights with light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in 14-kilometre area of Pakistan-India international border in Punjab. The initiative has been taken by the Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
The progress of this project was discussed at a meeting of senior officers chaired by home secretary LC Goyal on February 27.
A senior official said the ministry’s border management division has been asked to complete the pilot project of 14 km at the earliest and bids have already been invited.
The stretch of border in Jammu sector has seen a series of skirmishes and firing incidents between forces of Pakistan and India over the past few months.
Floodlights run up a huge electricity bill while diesel generators are also deployed along the border as back-up. “Almost 2,000 km of international border in J&K, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat is floodlit,” an official said.
LED bulbs are said to have a long life, nearly 50 times that of ordinary bulbs, and consume a fraction of the energy.
