The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Solar lanterns light up fishermen's lives

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 22, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Solar lanterns light up fishermen's lives

Special Correspondent

Tsunami-hit families accommodated in temporary shelters benefit

— Photo : T.Singaravelou

SOLAR POWER: A woman holding a solar lantern provided to residents of temporary shelters at Pudukuppam in Cuddalore.

CUDDALORE: Tsunami-hit fishermen families accommodated in temporary shelters in nine coastal villages in Cuddalore district have something to cheer about: they have been provided solar lanterns by Central Electronics of Shahidabad in Uttar Pradesh, a public sector enterprise.

The Project Officer of the District Rural Development Agency, D.Jagannathan, told The Hindu that the company had given 500 lanterns and these were distributed to the fishermen in the Killai-Parangipettai areas.

The split-up is as follows: M.G.R.Thittu - 164, Pudukuppam - 96, Pillu Medu - 81, Muzhukkuthurai - 58, Chinna Vaikkal - 50, Reddiarpettai - 14, Indira Nagar and Annappanpettai - 13 each, and, Madavapallam - 11.

Easy to handle

The lantern along with a panel of photovoltaic cells is quite easy to handle, and just by exposing the panel to sunlight for four to six hours during daytime, it could be used for the entire night.

This is in addition to the single-phase electricity connection given to all these tenements. The fishermen who are venturing into the sea in the early hours are finding it extremely convenient to carry the lantern in the boats, because it is emitting consistently bright light for longer duration than a powerful torch.

Moreover, there are no hassles of recurring expenditure, as the families are keeping the panel just at the doorstep of the shelters or on the rooftop to tap the sunlight.

The students too had put the lanterns to the optimal use, as these had come at the time of writing the annual examinations.

For, the lanterns had given the students the freedom to move some distance away from the temporary shelters to concentrate on their studies, so they need not stay put within the confines of the huts.

The lanterns had also increased the mobility of fishermen during night.

Above all, its safety aspect had gone well with the fishing community, as unlike the kerosene lamps, they could leave the lanterns unattended, without risking fire hazard.

Mr. Jagannathan said there was a heavy demand for the lanterns from other fishing villages too, as the fishermen had heard of its utility aspects from their counterparts.

Hence, a request had been sent to the company to provide 2,000 more such lanterns so as to cover all the 2,502 temporary shelters put up in the district, and a reply was awaited, Mr. Jagannathan added.

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