Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Tuesday launched a first-of-its-kind initiative to transform Punjab into the country’s first state with pole-free villages by laying the foundation stone of an ambitious underground electricity wiring project in his native village Satoj. In a major relief for farmers and rural residents, the Bhagwant Mann Government has begun shifting electricity wires underground to prevent crop fires, fatal accidents and frequent power disruptions caused by overhead lines, while also freeing villages from the maze of dangerous poles and tangled wires.
Under the pilot project, 384 electricity poles will be removed from Satou and underground cables will be laid without digging roads, marking what CM Bhagwant Singh Mann declared as the beginning of a “Roshan Punjab” built on modern infrastructure, uninterrupted electricity supply and safer villages. Calling the “Satoj Model” a roadmap for the entire country, the Chief Minister said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government has fulfilled its promise of creating wire-free villages for Punjab’s farmers and asserted that underground power supply would also end the politics surrounding installation of electricity poles in villages.
Addressing a gathering, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann stated, “Today is a historic day for the villages of Punjab as a major project to free villages from the web of electricity wires and unnecessary poles is being launched from here. Under this pilot project, all overhead electricity lines in Satoj will be shifted underground at a cost of around ₹8 crore. This is the first-ever project in the country, and with this initiative Punjab will emerge as a model project for the entire nation.”
Explaining the technical details of the project, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann stated, “Under this project, seven kilometers of High Tension lines, 9.5 kilometers of Low Tension lines, and 41 kilometers of service cables connecting 800 consumers’ homes will be laid underground. All High Tension lines connected from the 66 KV Grid Satoj to the village through three 11 KV feeders and linked to 28 transformers will go underground. Thereafter, in a historic initiative, all Low Tension lines from the 28 transformers to the meter boxes will also be laid underground.”
Recalling tragic incidents from the village, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann became emotional and said, “Three young men from this village had lost their lives due to electric shocks involving combine harvesters. They were the only breadwinners for their families. This project is a tribute to those young men because such tragic incidents should never occur in future.”
Describing the initiative as a transformative model for the country, the Chief Minister said, “The ‘Satoj Model’ will be known across the country for giving major reprieve to people in villages and cities. The world is talking about settlements on Mars, whereas our people were still entangled in issues of streets and drains. The Punjab Government has embarked on a digital revolution in Punjab. RTO services have been digitized and the Easy Registry system has been implemented with simplified language.”
Cabinet Ministers Harpal Singh Cheema and Tarunpreet Singh Sond, along with others, were also present on the occasion.