Delhi launches Rs 8 crore pilot to shift overhead wires underground

The Delhi government has launched a Rs 8.07 crore pilot project in Shalimar Bagh to replace overhead electricity wires with underground cables, The Hindu reported. The initiative is to improve safety and reduce visual clutter across the Capital.

The project will remove 5 kilometres of high-tension (HT) and low-tension (LT) overhead wires. These will be replaced with 10 kilometres of underground LT (440V) cables and 1.2 kilometres of HT (11kV) network. The work is expected to be completed within three months.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the project marks the beginning of a broader infrastructure upgrade. “This is just the beginning,” she said, adding that similar work would soon begin in other parts of Delhi.

The Chief Minister also noted that Rs 100 crore had been allocated in the current budget to support the phased rollout of underground cabling across the city.