Power minister R.K. Singh, on March 31, 2021, inaugurated an underground cabling project at the Kumbh area in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, via video conferencing.
The project, on which technical details are not yet available, received Rs.381.35 crore of financial assistance from Power Finance Corporation.
State utility Uttarakhand Power Corporation Ltd implemented the project under the Centrally-sponsored Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS). The project, costing around Rs.388 crore, was completed in a tight schedule of one year and 10 months, it is learnt. The project was planned ahead of the “Maha Kumbh” religious festival that starts on April 1, 2021.
The project will help in providing uninterrupted electricity to the consumers in the region and will put an end to the disruptions in the power supply caused due to heavy rains and wind, a government release said.
The completion of the project will not only reduce the risk of accidents caused due to loose wires and will also help in the beautification of the commercial areas around the region. The project will also lessen the traffic pressure as road widening work can be executed with the cables completely being laid underground, the release added.
Second in Uttarakhand
With the completion of this underground cabling project, Haridwar has become the second city in Uttarakhand, after Varanasi, to have extensive underground power distribution network. Such underground cabling has been initiated in several cities in Uttarakhand, but only in pockets.
Featured photograph shows the inauguration event being graced by Madan Kaushik, MLA, Haridwar, and Ms Radhika Jha, Secretary, Department of Energy and Renewable Energy, Uttarakhand
