Bengaluru: In three years’ time, the city may see overhead cables disappearing, as Bescom is already working on shifting the cables underground.
The government had given the approval for the project after Bescom had submitted a detailed report. It is said that the project is estimated to cost Rs 4,500 crore.
A senior Bescom official said, “All the overhead cables, including high and low tension cables, will be converted into underground cables. The project was being planned for several years and now, the work has begun.”
He said that laying the cables underground will be more feasible because there will less chance of the wires being damaged. “The underground cables are less prone to damages and do not require regular maintenance, while the overhead cables are damaged easily due to wind and rain and even suffer damage due to heat from sun. The birds also get electrocuted when they perch on these cables. All this results in transformer failures and power supply being interrupted,” he said.
The work has already begun in five sub-divisions - Koramangala, Indiranagar, Peenya, Shivajinagar and BTM Layout. “The work will be carried out in a phased manner and we have been directed to dig the roads in such a way that it does not obstruct the traffic or inconvenience the public. Wherever we find that movement of vehicles is likely to be affected, work is being carried out at night,” said another officer from Bescom.
