Gandhinagar: The state cabinet, which met on Wednesday, gave an in-principle approval for the Gujarat Wire-Free City Mission project that aims to convert all overhead power lines in 17 municipal corporations and 151 municipalities to underground lines by 2030.Speaking to the media, govt spokesperson Jitu Vaghani said that the project will be completed in a phased manner and for the initial phase of the project, a provision of Rs 500 crore has been made by the govt. “Apart from beautifying cities, the project will ensure that citizens lead a safe life, especially during times of natural disasters,” the minister said.Providing details, the spokesperson said that the project involves phasing the underground conversion of more than 14,600 circuit kilometres of high-tension overhead network and over 31,400 circuit kilometres of low-tension overhead network. In the first phase of this project, 11 kV overhead lines will be converted into underground cables, followed by low-tension lines, he added.The spokesperson added that underground cabling will prevent incidents of wire breakage or short circuits during natural disasters like storms. Additionally, with a reduction in technical faults, citizens will receive more quality and uninterrupted electricity without any obstacles.The state cabinet also condoled the death of sitting Manjalpur MLA Yogesh Patel, who died on Tuesday following a prolonged illness. Patel was elected MLA eight times and had also held a ministerial position in an earlier BJP-led state govt.
