Budget boosts electricity; BESCOM cables to go underground

BENGALURU: After decades of suffering from power cuts due to antiquated overhead power lines developing problems during rains, the city’s electricity supply network will get a much-needed boost when
all of the overhead lines will be replaced with underground cables.

The announcement was made by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy in his budget speech on Thursday.
While Kumaraswamy said that a detailed project plan would be prepared so that the process could be achieved in stages, work for shifting the cables underground in a few sub-divisions has already begun, according to officials of the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM).

Buried cables will also help prevent electrical accidents as well as theft of power, besides drastically reducing the number of power cuts that consumers witness.

BESCOM is also looking at a pilot project for four sub-divisions covering areas like Banaswadi, Kamanahalli, HRBR Layout, Peenya, Yeshwantpur, Jalahalli Cross, Laggere, Bannerghatta, Begur, Hulimavu and Electronics City where the job of shifting cables underground would be taken up.

Estimates by BESCOM to carry out this task in Bengaluru peg the cost at Rs 5,000 crore.
Earlier this year, the BESCOM also decided to invest Rs 100 crore into replacing 11 kV lines running for 533 km of route length with covered conductors.

The covered conductors would allow the company to ensure the safety of residents who live in densely populated areas where power lines run very close to buildings.