Assam: Thrust on natural light; Power cut-off in offices after 7.30 pm mooted

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: The state government has now decided that office spaces should make optimum use of natural light in order to cut back on lights running on power derived from fossil fuels.

The government has also decided that power would be cut off automatically in 232 offices after 7.30 p.m., except for those providing critical and emergency services, like hospitals, fire services, police stations, the CM’s office, etc. For this, the government has asked APDCL to take up the matter for implementation.

According to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, there is no need for employees to stay and work in offices after 6 p.m., as their duties can be completed within office hours only if done sincerely.

Meanwhile, PWD sources said that they have received instructions from the Chief Minister to design and construct new office buildings in such a manner that the use of natural light can be optimized, instead of relying on electrical lights. They have also been asked to make provision for rooftop solar panels on new and existing office buildings to better utilize solar power, which has received a big thrust from the government, it was stated.

There is the highest misuse of electric power in government offices. Lights, fans, ACs, and other power-consuming equipment and appliances are generally not switched off by employees when not in use. Such power-consuming utilities are generally kept switched on throughout office hours, as a result of which the government has to pay exorbitant amounts of money to APDCL as power bills.

Consumption of electricity in public service is increasing year-on-year. In 2020–21, there was a consumption of 99.72 MU of power, which increased to 167.40 MU in 2022–23. Currently, there are a total of 67.67 lakh electricity consumers in the state, out of which domestic consumers number 62.35 lakh and commercial consumers are 3.45 lakh.

The requirement for electricity in the state during the summer months goes up to 2576 MW and 750 MW in the winter. However, Assam can meet only 12% of the total demand for electricity in summer and 23% in winter from its own production sources. So, the state government is giving a major thrust to solar power at present. The target of the state government is to produce 4,000 MW of solar energy by 2026, and private companies will play a major role in this.

 Also Read: Assam: Indian National Congress Protest against frequent power cuts

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