The Delhi Government is considering about 30-40 requests from MLAs for shifting overhead power cables underground, with priority given to areas where the danger posed by dangling wires was maximum.
To speed up this exercise, the Power Department is considering a policy change to address issues such as the involvement of multiple agencies and land ownership, they said.
In July, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta launched a pilot project at the BH Block in her Shalimar Bagh constituency for shifting overhead electric lines underground. The project will be completed in three months at Rs 8 crore.
“After the rollout of the pilot project, we have been getting multiple requests. We have 30 to 40 proposals from MLAs to implement the project in their constituencies. But the technical committee, which approves the requests, considers the severity of the threat posed by the wires as the main factor for approving them,” said an official. Explaining how evaluation works, the official said that the team visits the area and sees the distance between the balconies of houses and the wires.
“At many places in Delhi, people have extended their balconies, bringing them in close proximity to the wires. These wires have a magnetic field around them. There have been instances when people have been electrocuted while drying clothes,” he added.
The official said implementing the project across Delhi poses challenges as multiple agencies and land issues are involved.
“For laying underground wires, we need to secure permission from the agencies concerned. Then there is also an issue that the wires might get destroyed if the land owning agency takes up some other infrastructure work. The project is a Capital-intensive one requiring thousands of crores of rupees,” he added.
The Delhi Government has allocated Rs 100 crore for the project in its Budget for 2025-26.
