Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Indian state of Kerala, is making little progress in converting the city’s 84,000 streetlights to LEDs, according to a report by The Hindu.

The city council is reported to be implementing the LED upgrade through a “zero investment model,” where the council will not have to spend a single penny on the LED streetlight installations.

Under the “zero investment model”, LED manufacturers will be paid with money saved from the city’s electricity bill. The company will have to maintain the lights throughout the lifetime of 8-9 years and buy back the luminaires after the period ends. Existing tube lights will also fall under the responsibility of the company.

The city authorities finalized the committee and its members in early August and has sent the consideration works to the standing committee. Eleven private firms have responded to the city council’s Expression of Interest (EoI) call. A technical committee will be set up, since city officials lack expertise in LED technology.