GHMC owes us Rs 144 cr: EESL

The statement by the Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) appears to impact the sustainability of the LED streetlight program in Hyderabad.

EESL, which is a joint venture under the Ministry of Power, has stated that the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has failed to pay its dues which has left the entity in a precarious financial situation.

According to the EESL, the civic body owes it Rs. 144.48 crore in outstanding payments. It further said that they also have not received its regular annuity payments for the past six months which amounts to Rs. 57.10 crore.

As per the data, the GHMC maintains 5.48 lakh streetlights in the city limits. They have now called for new tenders for 15,000 additional streetlights which will add a burden of Rs. 3 crore to the civic body without settling dues.

The EESL clarified that the new tender and delayed payments should not be seen as due to performance issues. The statement said it has resolved 98.9 percent of 2,18,422 complaints on faulty streetlights during the last eight months and will continue to maintain the city’s streetlights to fulfill its commitment for public safety.

Despite the delay in payments, the company has replaced 44,753 streetlights and installed 3,600 new ones in just two months, it said. The statement further added that it has installed over 1.723 million streetlights across 140 municipal bodies in Telangana, including GHMC limits.