IMPHAL, Nov 3NNN: Kangla Fort in the heart of Imphal will be turned into a solar citadel as the State Government is all set to lighten the most important historical and archaeological site of Manipur by solar energy it will begin from December or January next. Government has taken up the initiative in light of irregular supply of electricity in the State as well as the environment of the Kangla Fort, Keithelllakpam Dinamani, Superintendant, State Archaeology Office, Kangla, told Nepram Tombi on Saturday. Presently, a total of 130 kw of power unit is consumed by the Kangla Palace having an area of 237.62 acre and for this, a total power bill of about Rs 47,000 is paid per month to the State Electricity Department, Dinamani added. He further informed that the solar energy development in Kangla will be taken under Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM). The Central Government will bear 90 percent of the cost while 10 percent by Manipur Government, he added. The estimated cost of the mission is 3, 15, 90,000 and the work has been entrusted to a Kolkata base company, Sunshine Power Product Pvt Lmt. The State Government offered the work order to the Company in September, the official informed. Aside from lighting the Kangla including its enclosing fences, the Kangla Uttra will also be installed with a wonderful light and sound system after seeking approval from the Central Government, Dinamani said. He also said the main objective of the light and sound system at the Kangla Uttra is to display in visual and sound all the historical facts of the fort to tourists from outside. The new system is expected to cost around Rs 2 crore, he added. Kangla Fort, once occupied by Assam Rifles for a long time since the British left Manipur, was handed over to Manipur Government by the Centre in 2004. Since then, development of the fort has been continuously taken up by the State Government under the sponsorship of the Centre.
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