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Punjab launches pilot project to make villages pole-free with underground power lines
Punjab CM Bhagwant Singh Mann launched an ₹8 crore pilot project in Sangrur’s Satoj village to shift electricity lines underground.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Tuesday launched a pilot project to shift electricity wiring underground in his native village Satoj in Sangrur district, calling it the first step towards making Punjab the country’s first state with “pole-free villages”.
Under the project, around 41 kilometres of underground service cables, seven kilometres of high-tension lines and 9.5 kilometres of low-tension lines will be laid in the village at a cost of nearly ₹8 crore. The project will also remove 384 electricity poles from the village.
Addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone, Mann said the initiative would help prevent crop fires, electrocution incidents and power disruptions caused by overhead electricity wires. He said the “Satoj model” would become a roadmap for the rest of the country.
The Chief Minister said overhead power lines often lead to accidents involving tractors, combine harvesters and other vehicles, besides posing risks to children and animals. He also said storms and heavy rain frequently damage poles and wires, disrupting electricity supply.
Mann said underground cables would be laid using trenchless drilling machines, eliminating the need to dig up roads. Pipes carrying the cables will be placed nearly three feet below the ground.
The Chief Minister turned emotional while recalling the deaths of three youths from the village who allegedly died due to electrocution involving a combine harvester. “This project is a tribute to those young men because such tragic incidents should never happen again,” he said.
He also said the underground wiring initiative would improve the appearance of villages and reduce transmission and distribution losses caused by electricity leakage.
Apart from the power project, Mann also spoke about the state government’s digital governance initiatives, healthcare schemes and recently enacted anti-sacrilege legislation. He said the “Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojna” offers free treatment up to ₹10 lakh per family and claimed over 30 lakh health cards had already been issued.
The Chief Minister further said the state government’s “Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojna” would provide ₹1,000 per month to women and ₹1,500 per month to women from Scheduled Caste communities.
Cabinet Ministers Harpal Singh Cheema and Tarunpreet Singh Sond were also present at the event.
