Samariya for emulation of Vizag's success post-Hudhud in installing 1 lakh streetlights

Central Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) Heeralal Samariya has lauded the spectaculur success story of Visakhapatnam in popularising LED street lights in the aftermath of devastation triggered by the Hudhud cyclone in 2014 and underlined the need for emulation of the city's success story in other parts of India.

He called for urgent and sustained action to combat climate change, urging both governments and communities to allocate at least 10 percent of their budgets towards green funding and energy efficiency initiatives.

Speaking at a programme organized in New Delhi, attended by A. Chandra Sekhara Reddy, Media Adviser for Southern States and Union Territories at BEE, Ministry of Power, Samariya stressed the importance of “people’s partnership from Galli to Delhi” in building a resilient and sustainable future.

Recalling the devastating Hudhud cyclone that struck Visakhapatnam10 years ago, Samariya said it forced policymakers to adopt innovative, energy-efficient technologies which ultimately benefited other parts of the country and even attracted global and BRICS attention. Thanks to joint interventions by the state government and the Union Government’s Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), the city transitioned to over one lakh LED streetlights, significantly reducing energy costs and CO₂ emissions.

Samariya lauded the success of the EESL model under the Government of India’s Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP), noting that it has since been replicated in several states, including Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Telangana. The programme, he said, has resulted in an annual reduction of 6.2 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions and savings of about ₹5,400 crore to the public exchequer.

“For the first time, even my home state of Rajasthan has taken the lead. The Rajasthan Grameen Aajeevika Vikas Parishad and EESL have signed a landmark MoU to jointly empower rural communities through the Urjaveer Movement. This collaboration marks a significant step towards sustainable development, women’s empowerment, and clean energy adoption in rural Rajasthan. This programme has already been successful in Andhra Pradesh,” he said.

Samariya, who has over four decades of bureaucratic experience including in the power sector at both the State and national levels, emphasized that climate change is no longer a distant threat but a present reality that has caused severe ecological, economic, and human losses across the world, including India.

“India’s major cities—Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Visakhapatnam, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and many others—have all witnessed devastating climate-induced losses,” Samariya said. He highlighted the need for wide-ranging public awareness campaigns, particularly through videos and social media, to educate citizens about the adverse impacts. He also appreciated the sustained efforts of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), Government of India, in promoting energy-saving programmes through communication strategies involving State Designated Agencies (SDAs).