SANGRUR: An underground electricity wiring project was launched by Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on a pilot basis in his native Satoj village here, calling it a first-of-its-kind initiative to transform the state into the country’s first state with pole-free villages.Mann said this project will 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 Satoj and underground cables will be laid without digging roads.Calling the “Satoj Model” a roadmap for the entire country, Mann 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.“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 Rs 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,” Mann said while addressing a gathering here.Explaining the technical details of the project, 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, he said.The cables connecting meter boxes to all households will likewise be undergrounded, due to which 384 unnecessary electricity poles will be removed.A special feature of the project is that roads will not need to be dug up for laying underground cables because trenchless drilling machines will be used to install underground pipes. These pipes will be laid three feet beneath the ground, which will prove to be a major boon for common people, he said.Highlighting risks posed by overhead electricity wires, Mann said electricity poles and overhead wires pose the risk of electrocution to animals and people, especially children.Accidents frequently occur when tractors, combine harvesters, and other vehicles come into contact with overhead wires.Similarly, incidents of crop fires lead to significant losses for farmers.Rain, storms and strong winds damage poles and wires, disrupting electricity supply and causing financial losses to the power corporation, he said.The network of poles and wires also affects the aesthetic appearance of villages. With high tension and low tension lines shifted underground, electricity leakage will be eliminated, reducing transmission and distribution losses, said Mann.“Villages will receive uninterrupted power supply, underground wiring will significantly reduce accidents, incidents of crop fires caused by power lines will be prevented, and rain and strong winds will no longer disrupt electricity supply. Removal of unnecessary poles and tangled wires will further enhance the beauty and appearance of villages.”Recalling tragic incidents from the village, Mann 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.”Referring to the anti-sacrilege legislation, Mann said the state government enacted it against sacrilege, with provisions for punishment up to life imprisonment, to ensure that no one dares to disrespect Guru Granth Sahib in future.“Previous rulers neither had the intent nor the will to enact a law to check sacrilege, because of which desecration of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji became a regular feature during their regimes. However, the Act passed by the Punjab government will put an end to this because no one will ever dare to indulge in this unpardonable offence,” he said.