Bhubaneswar: The municipal corporation has resumed its work for installation of energy efficient LED street lights across the city after being slammed by the housing and urban development department for slowing down the project.

The civic body, along with its executing agencies, has identified stretches including Tankapani Road, Omfed Square to Sainik School and internal roads at Damana, Kalinga Vihar and Chandrasekharpur for installation of the lights.

"We have been intimated by the department that the agency is facing certain ground-level problem while installing the lights. We extended our support to the agency and the work is back on track now. According to the plan, all the street lights will be replaced with LEDs in the next one year," said a senior official of the corporation.

According to the plan, the civic body, along with its executing partner, will install about 5,000 LEDs across the city. In this phase, it will install about 1,000 street lights on the selected stretches. "The survey is complete and the installation of the poles is on right now. Work in this phase will be over in a month," said the official.

The civic body is installing energy efficient street lights across the city under the recently launched Unnati scheme.

"We had long back started replacing the traditional lights with the energy efficient ones. This time we are doing with greater vigour," said mayor Ananta Narayan Jena.

Jena said in the earlier phase LEDs were installed on important stretches, now internal roads were being covered. "We have installed about 15,000 LEDs so far. It will be doubled in the next one year. We have been able to save almost 80 per cent energy with it," said the mayor.

Patia resident Satya Mishra said the LEDs not only provide good light, but saves a lot of energy. "The civic body is doing quite good job, but they need to concentrate on the internal roads also. It is a welcome move of them for shifting focus in a local manner. It would benefit many," said the corporate employee.