The dangling overhead cables will shortly disappear from the city’s skyline and make way for a safer and more efficient power supply system.
The state government has directed the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation to collaborate with Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Limited (OPTCL) and put all the overhead high-tension wires under the ground before June.
The power body is working on the underground cabling system in the city, and according to reports, has finished the work at almost 70 per cent locations. The power companies – Central Electricity Supply Utility (Cesu) and the OPTCL – had started the project in 2016. In the first phase, four major roads – Airport Square to Acharya Vihar, New Airport Square to Nandankanan, Ekamra Square to Vani Vihar and Ravi Talkies to Rasulgarh Square – had been taken up, while in the next phase, other areas, including Old Town, was taken up.
Sources said the government was giving priority on finishing the underground cabling work in view of the upcoming Men’s Hockey World Cup-2018 scheduled in November. A number of tourists will visit the city during the event.