News Karnataka
Friday, March 29 2024
Cricket
Features

Making hay while sun shines, the Perabe way!

Photo Credit :

Mangaluru: After living in darkness for decades together, as many as 20 families in Perabe Gram Panchayat in Puttur taluk were recently introduced to electricity, all thanks to the Panchayat’s goodwill to install solar panels at their residences.

The 20 families are now delighted to see two tube lights glowing in their houses and one of their greatest treasures, their mobile phone – charging.

Among the more fortunate ones in Perabe, 202 out of a total of 1,272 families have already installed solar panels depending on their usage and affordability.

The idea of installing solar panels in Perabe materialized as former trustee of Subrahmanya temple and former APMC member Yamuna S Rai and Director of Jana Shikshana Trust and former ombudsman of MGNREGA for Dakshina Kannada Sheena Shetty worked on a common subject and teamed up when they learnt that they shared similar ideas.

Speaking to News Karnataka, Shetty said that, through his model resource centre named Navachethana Jeevana Shikshana Kendra at Mudipu near Konaje, has been empowering women of 45 panchayats of Dakshina Kannada by providing them Capacity Training. Out of several motives the centre has, propagating usage of solar energy is one. As the ideas of Yamuna Rai and Seena Shetty went hand in hand, a resolution to install solar panels to houses in various phases in Perabe was passed during a Gram Panchayat meeting. Following this, a committee to look after the installation of solar panel was created with Rai being its head. Subsequently, a delegation led by Shetty, Rai and Perabe Gram Panchayat President Baby, kept the proposal before DC AB Ibrahim and Zilla Panchayat CEO Sreevidya during a special meeting recently called by MLC Ivan D’Souza on implementing solar roof tops in the district.

After the idea received great appreciation, it was time for practical implementation. As the 20 power less houses were run mostly by beedi rolling families, they needed helping hands. At this stage, Rotary Club Puttur, SELCO Foundation and Dharmasthala Gramabhivriddhi Yojana came up to fund the project. All 20 houses got the solar panels installed costing Rs 10,000 each. The panels thus installed will be maintained free of cost by the SELCO Group for the next 3-5 years.

Shetty said that their next mission is to install solar panels in the houses of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes for which funds have been reserved in the Gram Panchayat. This will be followed by extending the facility to the houses of endosulfan victims. Though no funds have been reserved to help them in this cause, funds from MLA and MP treasure will be sought, Shetty explained.

As MLC Ivan D’Souza has taken the introduction of solar roof tops on houses as a pilot project in Dakshina Kannada, Shetty said that the MLC assured help. However, he could not promise anything specific obliging to the electoral code of conduct.

If things go as per the plan, Perabe will be the first village in the country to be declared as a fully solar village by March 2016.

Making hay while sun shines, the Perabe way!
Making hay while sun shines, the Perabe way!
Making hay while sun shines, the Perabe way!

Share this:
MANY DROPS MAKE AN OCEAN
Support NewsKarnataka's quality independent journalism with a small contribution.

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating 0 / 5. Vote count: 0

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

To get the latest news on WhatsApp