The closing ceremony to mark the successful implementation of solar lights in the naxalite-affected Amasebail Gram Panchayat (GP) will be held at Amasebail in Udupi district on June 9. Addressing presspersons here on Thursday, A.G. Kodgi, president of Amasebail Charitable Trust, said that the Amasebail GP comprised three villages - Amasebail, Rattady, and Machattu - which have a total of 1,872 houses. Of these 1,872 houses, solar lamps had been installed in 1,497 houses. Joint effortThe installation of lamps was a joint effort of the trust, Karnataka Bank Ltd., Karnataka Renewable Energy Development Ltd., the Amasebail GP, and the district administration. The cost of installing two solar lamps was â¹9,900, while it was â¹16,000 for four lamps. The beneficiaries had to pay â¹3,000 for two lamps, while they had to pay â¹6,000 for four solar lamps. In the case of Koraga community beneficiaries, the GP bore the amount of â¹3,000 per beneficiary; while in the case of other SCs,STs beneficiaries, it had borne â¹2,000 per beneficiary for installation of lamps. The total cost of installing solar lamps in these 1,497 houses was â¹2.13 crore.SELCO Solar Light Private Ltd., selected through e-tender, was entrusted the work of installing the solar lamps. As per the tender conditions, the company had given five-year guarantee for the lamps, and to undertake a half-yearly maintenance. The installation of lamps to 1,497 houses, which was taken up in May 2016, had been completed in three phases. In addition, 20 solar streetlamps and lamps in places of worship had been installed by the trust at its own cost. Fully solar GPAmasebail was declared as the first fully solar GP in Udupi district at a function on April 27, 2017. "We do not think any other GP has made such an achievement in the State. Amasebail is a model GP for the entire country," he said."When we started the project of installing solar lamps, some houses did not have power connection. Now though power connection is there, power is not always available in rural areas making solar lamps, a necessity," Mr. Kodgi said. "During monsoon, if a tree fell on power lines, it takes weeks to restore power supply. Besides some houses are located in the forests in the GP, they require solar lamps," said Jayalaxmi Shedti, gram panchayat president.