Fazilka set to pioneer use of CFL lamps

Anilesh S Mahajan TNN
Novermber, 21, 2007
Chandigarh: It may be called as the first citizen effort to turn to the compact fluorescent light (CFL) lamps and Fazilka would be the first city in Punjab to accept it. This effort has come without any government’s initiative in this regard. The NGO, Graduate Welfare Association of Fazilka (GWAF) has impressed upon all the traders in the city to not only promote CFL, but also to sell it on ‘no profit no loss’ basis during the Fazilka heritage festival starting from November 22 to 25. The theme of the festival is global warming. “Conservation of energy is an important issue for the state as well as for the nation. As citizens of the country we have to save energy, when we told this to the people here, they agreed to turn on to CFL lamps,” said Dr Bhupinder Singh, a retired professor of IIT Roorkee and founder of GWAF. “When citizens are told about the benefits it can give to them as well as to the state, they readily acquiesce to the change,” he added. Fazilka electricity parts dealers’ association chief Pradeep Ahuja added that they would be selling only CFL during the festival in the city. “We cannot offer subsidies, but this would be our initiative towards the mission,” he added. Moreover, all the leading business houses in the city have been asked to turn to CFL and they have agreed to it. Vikram Ahuja of farm solutions said that he has already changed the lamps and have asked other to do so. GWAF has a good influence over most of the citizens in the town, as most of the graduates are its members. It believes that this would set an example for the rest of the state. It is worth mentioning here that the Punjab government and Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) has already turned on to CFL. In comparison to the incandescent lamp used by the domestic users, one sixth to one-fourth energy is saved. It is promoted by the PSEB and Central Electricity Commission (CEC) too.