Underground electricity wiring project launched on pilot basis in CM Mann’s native village

Sangrur: Punjab Chief Minister launched an underground power cable project god value On a pilot basis in his native Satoj village here, he called it a first-of-its-kind initiative to transform the state into the first state in the country to have Merumukt villages.Mann said the project would prevent crop fires, fatal accidents and frequent power outages due to overhead lines, besides freeing villages from dangerous poles and tangled wire mazes.Under the pilot project, 384 electricity poles will be removed from Sataj and underground cables will be installed without digging up roads.Terming the “Satoj model” as a roadmap for the entire country, Mann said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has fulfilled its promise of creating cable-free villages for Punjab’s farmers and asserted that underground power supply would end politics surrounding the installation of electricity poles in villages.“Today is a historic day for the villages of Punjab where a major project to free the villages from electricity wires and unnecessary poles is being launched from here.“Under this pilot project, all the overhead power lines of Satj will be shifted underground at a cost of around Rs 8 crore. This is the first project in the country, and with this initiative Punjab will emerge as a model project for the entire nation,” Mann said while addressing a rally here.Explaining the technical details of the project, Mann said, “Under this project, seven kilometers of high tension lines, 9.5 kilometers of low tension lines and 41 kilometers of service cables connecting the houses of 800 customers will be laid underground.”The 66 kV grid will run underground from Satoj through three 11 kV feeders connected to all high tension lines and 28 transformers connected to the village. Then, in a historic initiative, all low tension lines from 28 transformers to meter boxes will also be undergrounded, he said.Likewise, the cables connecting meter boxes to all households will be buried underground, due to which 384 redundant electricity poles will be removed.A special feature of the project is that there will be no need to dig roads to lay underground cables as trenchless drilling machines will be used to lay the underground pipes. These pipes will be laid three feet underground, which will prove to be a boon to the common man.Highlighting the dangers posed by overhead power lines, Mann said power poles and overhead wires pose a risk of electrocution to animals and people, especially children.Accidents often occur when tractors, combine harvesters and other vehicles come into contact with overhead wires.Similarly, crop fire incidents lead to significant losses for farmers.He said rains, storms and strong winds damage poles and wires, disrupt power supply and cause financial loss to electricity corporations.The network of poles and wires also affects the aesthetic appearance of the village. If high tension and low tension lines are shifted underground, electricity leakage will be eliminated, transmission and distribution losses will be reduced, Mann said.“Villages will have uninterrupted power supply, underground wiring will significantly reduce accidents, incidents of crop fires caused by power lines will be prevented, and rain and strong winds will no longer disrupt power supply. Removing unnecessary poles and tangled wires will enhance the beauty and look of the village.”Recalling the tragic incident in the village, Mann said, “Three youths of this village lost their lives after being electrocuted with a combine harvester. They were the sole breadwinners of their families. This project is a tribute to those youths so that such tragic incidents do not happen again in the future.”Referring to the Anti-Apostasy Act, Mann said the state government had enacted it against religion, which carries punishments up to life imprisonment to ensure that no one dares to disrespect the Guru Granth Sahib in future.“Previous rulers did not have the will or desire to enact a law to prevent desecration, due to which desecration of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji became a regular feature during their rule. However, the law passed by the Punjab government will put an end to it as no one would ever dare to indulge in this unforgivable crime,” he said.