Chandigarh: Shifting of meters outside Sector 8 houses to start soon
Dushyant Singh Pundir
Chandigarh, November 15
With the aim of enhancing safety and reliability, the work of shifting electricity meters outside the houses will begin soon in Sector 8.
An official of the UT Electricity Department said the work of underground electricity supply (pilot project) in Sector 8 was likely to be completed by the end of December.
The official said the relocation of 468 single-phase meters and 874 three-phase meters would start in three or four days, as the digging work was already complete.
The shifting of the meters outside the houses is part of an ambitious Rs 18-crore pilot project in Sector 8 to replace the overhead electricity cables with an underground system. Despite having laid the power cables underground and installed transformers in 2021, the Administration is yet to complete this crucial aspect of shifting the meters outside the houses.
Started in 2016, the project’s goal was to transform Sector 8 into the city’s first sector with underground electricity supply. This move would safeguard against damage caused to cables during storms and heavy rains. However, the project has faced persistent delays.
The official said the shifting of meters was likely to cost nearly Rs 2.52 crore. Apart from ensuring accurate meter readings, relocating meters outside houses offers multiple benefits. It prevents tampering with meters, facilitates easier reading and addresses concerns raised by residents about employees entering their homes for readings.
The project is aimed at eliminating the risks associated with overhead high-tension lines, enhancing safety along slip roads, road berms and parking lots. The current power infrastructure in the area, which is more than 50 years old, has led to frequent breakdowns and disruptions in the supply. The underground cables would ensure uninterrupted power supply during adverse weather conditions and also reduce distribution losses.
The Central Government had approved Rs 241 crore in May 2021 for the installation of smart meters in the city under the smart grid project. Under the pilot project, more than 24,000 smart meters have been installed in Sectors 29, 31, 47 and 48, Faidan, Ram Darbar, Hallo Majra, Raipur Kalan, Makhan Majra and Daria villages and the Industrial Area, Phase I and II.
The administration had planned to replace all electricity meters with smart ones in the entire city by the 2022-23 fiscal, but the Ministry of Home Affairs shelved the project in view of the privatisation of the UT Electricity Department, which would handle the installation of smart meters in the rest of the areas under new management.
Maheshinder Singh Sidhu, area councillor, said the move would not only address safety concerns but also modernise and stabilise the aging power infrastructure of Sector 8, reducing disruptions and breakdowns in the power supply.
Work to begin in three days
The official said the relocation of 468 single-phase meters and 874 three-phase meters would start in three or four days, as the digging work was already complete.
Part of Rs 18-crore pilot project
The shifting of the meters outside the houses is part of an ambitious Rs 18-crore pilot project in Sector 8 to replace the overhead electricity cables with an underground system. Despite having laid the power cables underground and installed transformers in 2021, the Administration is yet to complete this crucial aspect of shifting the meters outside the houses.
