Old city to get electricity from underground power supply cable network

BHOPAL: If all goes well, power cut on account of technical snags will be a thing of past in some pockets of the state capital. Several parts in the old city area will get electricity from underground power supply cable network.
Initially, the discom had a plan to lay 26 km long underground power cable. Later, six places have been identified for the purpose where only domestic power supply lines would be made underground.
A team of officials visited Agra in Uttar Pradesh where underground power supply is being supplied in this manner in several areas to study the technology.
These include areas, which give high losses to the discom and where the difference between power supplied and revenue earned is bigger. “This will also lead to savings in terms of revenue and preventing power loss. Thus it will help us get approval for making power supplies in other areas of the city underground as this initiative needs a lot of funds,” said an official. Some of the areas include, Karond, City Kotwali area, Narialkheda, Chhola, Sultania and others. There is a fund of only Rs 10 crore that is available at this moment for underground cabling work, sources said.

“We have identified areas on the basis of high losses and are now getting detailed project report prepared. Once done, we will send it for further approval,” Madhya Kshetra Vidyut Vitaran Company chief general manager (city circle) Binay Kumar Sinha told TOI.
He said, “We had recently visited Agra for studying underground power supply works. We have now decided only power supply lines for low-tension consumers will be made underground, because high-tension requires more money and normally losses are reported in areas getting low-tension supply.”
“Once through with it, we will get results We will try to get approval and funds for other areas as well,” he said.
“We wish to complete these works in next one year’s time,” Sinha said.