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₹99-crore plan to rid Ludhiana of dangling power cables
As part of the project, the power corporation will float around 20 tenders — ten each for the Ludhiana East and Ludhiana West circles
The Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has approved a ₹99-crore project to remove and reorganise low-hanging and tangled electrical wires across Ludhiana, officials said, aiming to address the city’s long-standing menace.
As part of the project, the power corporation will float around 20 tenders — ten each for the Ludhiana East and Ludhiana West circles. The tendering process will be carried out in phases, with some tenders likely to be floated on January 29.
Officials said the large-scale exercise will focus primarily on busy areas witnessing heavy pedestrian and vehicular movement, as well as localities that have repeatedly emerged as hotspots for electrical hazards.
In Ludhiana East circle, the project will cover major industrial and commercial pockets, including Focal Point, Sunder Nagar, areas around Christian Medical College (CMC) and traditional markets such as Chaura Bazar, Daresi, Meena Bazar and Gur Mandi — all long plagued by tangled overhead wiring posing serious risks.
Similarly, in Ludhiana West circle, dense residential localities such as Aggar Nagar, Janta Nagar and Model Town have been identified for the project.
The citywide initiative follows a pilot project launched in the City West division in September last year. Under the pilot, non-electric wires were removed from power poles, low-hanging electric lines were raised to safer heights and multiple cable joints were replaced to reduce faults and improve safety.
Encouraged by the results, PSPCL has now decided to expand the exercise across Ludhiana. As per the plan, all dish cables, internet fibre and other non-PSPCL wiring will be cleared from power poles to enhance public safety and enable faster inspection and fault detection. Multiple cable joints — often responsible for voltage fluctuations, power outages and fire incidents — will be replaced with continuous new cables.
Explaining the urgency, a senior PSPCL official said a tangled web of electric wires hanging perilously low can be seen across almost every part of the city, as if waiting for a tragedy to strike. “During strong winds or heavy rainfall, these wires often spark dangerously. Even during peak power demand, such incidents are common and have, in some cases, led to fatal accidents,” the official said.
Chief engineer Jagdev Hans said the project was approved by PSPCL’s board of directors on December 29. “We are currently facing some challenges due to a shortage of skilled manpower as the corporation is simultaneously executing multiple power upgradation projects. However, we are committed to completing this initiative in a time-bound manner and removing hazardous dangling wires from the city at the earliest,” he said.
