Ludhiana: Solar panels defunct in 15 govt schools for months

District coordinator of the Smart School project says plaints being compiled to be forwarded to authorities concerned

Solar panels installed across several government schools in the district have been lying defunct for months. Despite repeated complaints, officials are yet to take corrective measures, say headteachers.

The installation of solar panels has helped government schools significantly reduce their electricity bills, say teachers. (HT Photo)

The state government had launched the solar panel project in 2018 with the aim of gradually covering all schools. The electricity generated through these panels is supplied to the power department, which then deducts the units consumed by a particular school from the overall energy generated. This mechanism had helped the education department save significantly on electricity bills.

Sukhdhir Sekhon, officiating headteacher of Government Primary School, Giaspura, said, “I am also headteacher of Government Primary School, Moti Nagar, where the panels had not been working for months. After several complaints, they started functioning a day before. In Giaspura school, they are still not operational.”

Officials have now circulated a Google sheet and the schools have been asked to fill the details where the panels have failed. Schools including high schools in Daad, Sehan Daud, Roshiana, Mandiani, Bhamipura, Mullanpur, and primary schools in Karabara, Samrala Girls, Central Boys, Dhilwan, Agwar Gujjran Boys, Chuharpur, Phambra among others, have already reported non-functional units.

The reasons cited range from broken meters and inverter failures to damage caused by strong winds and other technical glitches. “We receive an electricity bill of nearly ₹30,000 every month, as each classroom runs five to six fans. When solar panels work, a large portion of this cost is deducted. But for months now, bills have only been mounting as no action has been taken despite repeated complaints,” said a government school teacher, requesting anonymity.

When contacted, Anil Matharoo, district coordinator of the Smart School project, said the complaints were being compiled to forward to the state authority. “The Google sheet has been released to gather school-level reports so we can send them to the Punjab Energy Development Agency, who have allocated vendors for maintenance. The issues will be resolved soon,” he assured.