Solar panels atop Payyannur mini civil station become defunct, ₹36-lakh project wasted

Kannur: Forty-five solar panels installed atop the mini civil station building in Payyannur five years ago have become defunct and are now facing deterioration, raising concerns over the waste of public funds. The KSEB had set up the panels, with a total capacity of 85 kilowatts, at a cost of approximately ₹36 lakh, through a special agency.

The project was implemented at the Payyannur mini civil station as part of the electricity department’s flagship solar energy initiative, which was rolled out across several mini civil stations in the State. The KSEB had announced that 10 per cent of the electricity generated would be supplied to power the civil station building, with an assurance of up to 34 units of electricity per day.

In anticipation of free power, the rooftop of the building was handed over to the KSEB. However, complications arose when it emerged- only after the installation- that the existing electrical wiring of the civil station was incapable of supporting the solar plant. Following this revelation, the implementing agency withdrew from the project, leaving the solar panels unused.

Despite the failure of the project, the KSEB did not remove the panels from the rooftop. As a result, the taluk was left without both the promised free electricity and a proposed conference hall for the taluk office. The conference hall plan, which was being prepared by the Public Works Department (PWD), had been abandoned to accommodate the solar installation.

Officials said that removing the defunct solar panels could revive the stalled mini civil station development project. This would also enable the consolidation of several government offices currently functioning from rented premises into a single building.