Mangaluru : The Amasebail Charitable Trust will launch a programme to install solar lamps in 1,497 houses in the naxalite-affected Amasebail Gram Panchayat here on June 1.

Addressing pressperson here on Monday, A.G. Kodgi, president of the trust and former MLA, said that the total cost of installation of the solar lamps was Rs. 2.13 crore.

Of this, Rs. 1.39 crore was being provided by the Union and the State governments under their various schemes. The trust will collect about Rs. 81 lakh from the beneficiaries.

The trust was expecting a shortfall of Rs. 5 lakh to Rs. 10 lakh, which it would make up by either seeking donations or by its own funds.

The people in these villages had been given an option of installing two or four solar lamps.

The cost for installation of two solar lamps was Rs. 9,900 and four solar lamps was Rs. 16,000. The beneficiaries would have to pay just Rs. 3,000 for two solar lamps and Rs. 6,000 for four solar lamps.

Besides this, as many as 20 solar street lamps would be installed in Amasebail.

The cost of installation of solar street lamps was Rs. 23,500, which would have to be borne by the Gram Panchayat.

The SELCO Solar Light Private Ltd was entrusted the work of installing the solar lamps and it had been selected through e-tender process. As per tender conditions, the company would give full guarantee of five years for the solar lamps and also take care of their maintenance during this period.

The installation of these solar lamps would take about three months.

The trust had taken the help of Amasebail Gram Panchayat, Karnataka Bank Ltd and Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project for this project.

The installation of solar lamps would be of great benefit to the people of Amasebail as power supply was erratic in rural areas, more so during the monsoon. People would save on electricity bills. It would also help save electricity.

N. Santosh Hegde, former Lokayukta, would launch the project for installation of solar lamps.

A new  agricultural market,  a fish market and other facilities would be inaugurated on the occasion.

All these facilities were being provided in the village due to the efforts of the trust, Mr. Kodgi said.