Gujarat govt approves statewide underground power network plan for urban areas by 2030
Gandhinagar, June 3
Gujarat's urban electricity network will be shifted underground by 2030 under a newly approved state-wide initiative that will cover all 17 municipal corporations and 151 municipalities, with the state government allocating Rs 500 crore for the first phase of the project.
The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel in Gandhinagar, where the government granted in-principle approval to the "Gujarat Wire Free City Mission".
Announcing the decision, government spokesperson and minister Jitu Vaghani said the mission seeks to transform all urban areas in Gujarat into wire-free cities in a phased manner by 2030.
Vaghani asserted that the initiative had been conceived in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of developing green and smart cities.
"Under the Gujarat Wire Free City Mission, all cities in the state will be made wire-free in a phased manner by the year 2030," Vaghani said, adding that the state government had approved a provision of Rs 500 crore for the initial phase of the ambitious programme.
He said the mission would cover all 17 municipal corporations and 151 municipalities across Gujarat and was expected to significantly improve both the safety and appearance of urban areas.
Under the project, the existing overhead electricity distribution infrastructure in cities will be converted into a fully underground cable network.
More than 14,600 circuit kilometres of high-tension overhead network and over 31,400 circuit kilometres of low-tension overhead network will be shifted underground in stages.
Vaghani said implementation would begin with converting 11 kV overhead power lines to underground cables. The undergrounding of low-tension lines will be carried out in subsequent phases.
Explaining the project's benefits, the minister said underground cabling would help prevent accidents caused by snapped wires and short circuits during natural disasters such as cyclones.
"Underground cabling will prevent incidents such as wire breakages and short circuits during natural calamities like cyclones," he said.
He added that the project would also reduce technical faults in the electricity distribution system, thereby leading to a more reliable power supply.
"Due to a reduction in technical faults, citizens will receive better-quality electricity and uninterrupted power supply without any kind of disruption," Vaghani said.
Describing the initiative as more than a conventional power infrastructure project, he said: "The Gujarat Wire Free City Mission is not merely a routine project to replace power lines, but a historic and significant step by our government towards building a smart, beautiful and safe Gujarat of the 21st century."
— IANS
Reader Comments
A very visionary step by the Gujarat government! Just one concern - Rs 500 crore for the first phase seems low if we have to underground 14,600 circuit km of HT lines. Hope there's a detailed cost plan. Also, they must ensure minimal disruption during digging - our roads are already bad in many places.
As someone living in Surat, I've seen similar work in some new housing societies. But the real test is in the old city areas with narrow lanes. The infrastructure here is chaotic. They'll need to coordinate with civic bodies, water and sewage departments or else we'll have dug-up roads for years.
This is one area where Modi's vision truly shows - he brought development to Gujarat while he was CM, and now his successor continues the same pace. I'm a Vadodara resident and we badly need this. Our power lines are like spider webs in some neighbourhoods. The safety during monsoon will improve massively.
But what about the cost to consumers? 🤔 Such beautification projects often result in higher electricity bills. Also, underground cables are harder to repair when they develop faults. In my area, whenever there's a fault, it takes hours for repair crews. Hope they have enough trained manpower for this.
Excellent move for disaster resilience. After the 2023 Biparjoy cyclone that caused widespread power outages in Kutch and Saurashtra, this is the right priority. But I also hope they use quality cables and connectors - we've seen cheap materials fail quickly. The execution will matter more than the announcement.
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