A DH report has resulted in the implementation of the first three projects under the 'Soura Gruha Yojane' solar rooftop scheme by Bescom, four years after the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) launched it.
While DH has reported poor implementation of the project in Bescom limits several times in the past, its report on December 29 prompted Bescom officials to meet the vendors to iron out the problems and implement the first three projects.
“I wrote to the MNRE and contacted the principal secretary based on the articles published by DH and eventually, the process gained momentum. The vendors are now coming forward to take up work,” said Kochu Shankar, a resident of Horamavu and one of the first few beneficiaries of the scheme.
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Urban Development Minister Byrathi Basavaraj will inaugurate one of the first installations at Kalkere on Wednesday.
Senior Bescom officials said applications are being scrutinised faster and the scheme would pick up pace soon.
“The vendors were reluctant initially and there were a few hiccups. After we held a meeting with the vendors and the Karnataka Renewable Energy Systems Manufacturers Association (KRESMA), there has been considerable improvement,” a senior official from the Demand Side Management (DSM) wing of Bescom said.
Bescom had received close to 1,500 applications since 2019 and had only recently relaunched the portal for consumers to apply.
“Of the 1,500 applications, 200 of them have been withdrawn due to various reasons. We have completed the inspection of all the other 1,300 applications and the applicants should now start speaking to the vendors. We expect that the number of installations will increase in the next few months,” the official said.
Since the relaunch of the portal in December, Bescom has received another 250 new applications.
In March 2019, MNRE announced the ‘Soura Gruha Yojana’ and tasked the ESCOMs to serve as nodal agencies. As per MNRE guidelines, consumers get a 40% subsidy for up to 3kW of installation and a 20% subsidy for installations over 3kW.
Those interested in applying for the scheme can apply at https://srtpv.bescom.org/ SRTPV/.