Cuttack: The Rs 34-crore street light project, in which the municipal corporation has proposed to install light emitting diode (LED) bulbs on all lamp posts across the city, will be executed shortly.

An LED bulb, in which electrical energy directly converts into light energy, can save 81 per cent power consumption as compared to the traditional lights. The bulbs have 50,000 hours of longevity compared to the normal ones, which last for 10,000 hours.

"Survey for the project has been completed, and installation will start in November," municipal commissioner Bikash Mohapatra said on Monday.

"The Odisha Infrastructure Development Fund has appointed an independent engineer to implement the Odisha street lighting project for five municipal corporations. Replacement of sodium vapour street lights with the LED bulbs in Cuttack is being undertaken under the project," Mohapatra said.

It aims to reduce power consumption by replacing around 19,000 sodium vapour lights, apart from ensuring better vision at night. It would cover all 59 wards.

An official in the civic body's power division said changing lights to the LED bulbs was expected to reduce the expenditure by 50 per cent. At present, the Cuttack Municipal Corporation spends around Rs 50 lakh per month towards power consumption by the existing sodium vapour street lights in the city and another Rs 1 crore for their maintenance in a year.

"We have planned to replace the sodium vapour street lights with LED ones in phases. In the first phase, the street lights along the main roads will be converted. The remaining street lights on sub-roads and other streets in the city will be upgraded later," said Ranjan Kumar Biswal, chairman of the corporation's standing committee for electricity, sanitation and health.

LED lights were introduced in the city in August last year along the new main road connecting Markatnagar from Sector II to Sector X. The works department spent Rs 86 lakh for street lighting in the 3.6km stretch by using 204 LED bulbs - two each on 90 poles and four each on the rest six poles at the road junctions.

Markatnagar resident Saumendra Mishra said: "The LED street lights evidently enhance the visibility at night with better lighting and make the roads more secure for the commuters."