Jamshedpur: The steel city is experimenting with lightweight streetlight poles that are weather and wind resistant, and likely to cause minimal injury in the unlikely event of them getting uprooted.

Tata Steel civic utility wing, Jusco, installed these light poles made of fibre reinforced polymers (FRP) last week on the Kharkai Link Road intersection near St Mary's English High School at Bistupur and near MGM Hospital roundabout at Sakchi.

"FRP poles are not only weather resistant and rust proof, but can also withstand wind speeds higher than 200kmph. We decided on these poles after conducting a wind data study wherein we found that the maximum wind speed in the steel city is not usually above 150kph. So far, the feedback from these two locations is positive," said Jusco spokesperson Rajesh Rajan, who added that FRP poles were in use in coastal Chennai that witnesses frequent cyclones.

According to a senior Jusco official in the town lighting department, FRP poles also offered a cost advantage in that these were easy maintenance free.

"The actual cost is more or less the same (as the conventional steel poles). But FRP poles have a longevity of more than 30 years, is maintenance free, does not require frequent painting as it is corrosion (rust) resistant and comes with customised painting (in Jusco case blue). It is light-weight, easy to install and the impact of its fall is less than 1/10th than that of regular steel poles," said the senior official.

The FRP poles have been wrapped with white reflective tape to meet road safety parameters. Jusco officials said they would gradually introduce FRP poles on other roads with heavy traffic. There are in all, over 15,000 street light poles that would be replaced in a phased manner.

"We will be giving priority to roads with high vehicle density. Over the years, we have been noticing how conventional light poles get bent in the event of an impact with a vehicle, leading to traffic disruptions. The new poles will be much safer," Rajan said.