KOCHI: The Public Works Department, which denied permission to the Kerala State Electricity Board for road-cutting to lay the 11KV underground cable for the R-APDRP project, has not found any problem with the Reliance’s trenching for cable-laying works.
Laying UG cable along the 12-km stretch from Malippuram substation to Pallathamkulangara along the coastal state highway is crucial for the KSEB’s Restructured Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme (R-APDRP).
Funded by the central government, it is an ambitious project to improve the quality of power distribution. The Rs 243 cr scheme which will help reduce transmission loss and carry out repair works in minimum time covers the entire city area and the neighbouring municipalities and panchayats.
“Despite several requests, the PWD denied permission citing the high standards of the coastal highway. They said that the road developed using bitumen macadam and bitumen concrete can’t be trenched. However, they did not find any fault in giving instant permission to Reliance for their 4G cable laying works,” said an official with the Board.
“Under the R-APDRP project, more than 85 per cent of the cabling works has been completed in the three panchayats along the coastal stretch. Works remain at the Elankunnapuzha, Vypeen and Munambam feeders. Commissioning of the project is significant for the densely populated Vypeen area where power interruption is regular due to falling of tree branches on overhead cables,” the official added.
The project aims at replacing overhead lines with UG cables, replacement of faulty metres, installing capacitors, street light controllers with metering facility and distribution boxes.
Meanwhile, Kerala State Electricity Workers Federation (AITUC) state secretary Jacob Lazar alleged massive corruption in the deal and sought a probe against PWD officials who gave the road cutting permission.
“It is unfortunate that the PWD officials pay scant regard to the efforts of Minister G. Sudhakaran who is crusading against the corrupt officials to make the department clean and effective,” he said.
