Cuttack, May 14: The consortium of a Danish and Delhi-based company, which was supposed to implement the LED street light project here, has withdrawn from the project because of the government's inordinate delay in appointing an engineer.

In July last year, the state government had entered into agreement with a consortium of Denmark-based HeSaLight and Delhi-based Neev Energy LLP to install energy-efficient light-emitting diode street lights in all parts of the city.

According to the agreement, the government was to appoint a senior engineer in the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) by October 28 to monitor the project. The survey work was scheduled to start in November last year after appointment of the designated engineer, said a highly-placed source in the civic body.

"But, the survey could not be taken up because of the government's delay in appointing the engineer. After waiting for long for the government to act, the company has now pulled out of the project," said the source.

The plan to introduce energy-efficient light-emitting diode street lights in Cuttack was mulled after the scheme became a huge success in Bhubaneswar. The LED bulbs have not only reduced electricity consumption expenditures by half in Bhubaneswar, but have also enhanced night-time visibility on roads there.

The CMC had proposed the LED street light project for Cuttack city in 2014. The state housing and urban development department had engaged the International Finance Corporation (IFC) as a consultant for the project. The IFC was roped in for assistance in modernisation, augmentation, operation and maintenance of street light infrastructure in the city.

When contacted, the chairman of the civic body's standing committee for electricity, sanitation and health, Ranjan Kumar Biswal, admitted that the private company had withdrawn itself from the project because of the government's delay in appointing the engineer.

The Rs 34-crore project was aimed at reducing power consumption by replacing the around 19,000 sodium vapour street lights across 59 wards of the city. An LED bulb, in which electrical energy directly converts into light energy, can save 81 per cent power consumption as compared to traditional lights. The LED bulbs also last longer. They have 50,000 hours of longevity compared to normal bulbs, which last for 10,000 hours.

Deputy mayor Ajay Barik said that if implemented, the LED lighting project would have brought down the civic body's monthly electricity consumption expenditure from street lights by about half.

"Now, we spend around Rs 50 lakh every month towards paying bills for electricity consumption for the existing sodium vapour bulbs. Another Rs 1 crore is spent every year for the maintenance of the bulbs," said Barik, who is also the chairman of the CMC's standing committee for finance.

LED street lights were introduced in Cuttack city on August 31 last year with lighting the main road connecting Markatnagar's Sector-II with Sector-X.

Markatnagar Sector-VI resident Khirod Rout said: "LED street lights enhance night-time visibility on roads and are also energy efficient. The government should ensure that such lights are installed in other areas of the city as well."