HYDERABAD: Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Tuesday visited Bengaluru for an in-depth review of the city’s large-scale underground cabling initiative undertaken by the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM). The visit is part of the state government’s ongoing efforts to modernise urban infrastructure and enhance the reliability, safety and aesthetics of power supply systems in rapidly expanding metropolitan areas.
As part of the visit, a high-level review meeting was held with BESCOM officials. Presentations were made by Pankaj Pandey, MD, Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited and Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company, along with his team. They briefed Vikramarka on the overhead (OH) to underground (UG) power conversion Project — considered one of India’s most comprehensive urban power infrastructure transformations.
Launched in 2018–19, the project has already converted over 7,400 kilometres of 11kV OH lines and thousands of kilometers of low-tension lines into UG or aerial bunched (AB) cables. A key innovation has been the installation of Optical Fiber Cable (OFC) ducts along UG routes to facilitate future telecom leasing, creating a potential revenue stream.
During the meeting, the deputy CM inquired about the project’s design and implementation challenges. He also examined the financial structuring, which includes funding from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Rural Electrification Corporation (REC), and other public sector banks. BESCOM officials reported that the UG conversion has already led to a reduction in technical losses and electrical accidents by up to 2%.
He also sought details on the readiness of OFC infrastructure for commercial use to which BESCOM responded that while ducts are in place, last-mile coordination with telecom operators and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is still underway. The role of Ring Main Units (RMUs) in enhancing system reliability and reducing downtime during faults was also discussed.
Vikramarka expressed appreciation for the scale and disciplined execution of the project and emphasised the importance of applying its lessons to Telangana’s own grid modernisation initiatives — especially the upcoming “Future City” programme.
Later, he visited a pilot site in Malleshwaram (15th Cross) where an underground distribution network, including an underground distribution transformer (DTR) system, has been implemented. The site demonstrated how DTRs can be housed in fully buried chambers with accessible maintenance panels at street level, freeing up urban space and improving safety.
During the field visit, Vikramarka interacted with engineers and contractors on-site, reviewing safety protocols, load balancing methods, and emergency repair provisions. He remarked that such innovations could be especially beneficial in Telangana’s densely populated urban areas.