Bengaluru / Hyderabad: Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu 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 was part of the Telangana government’s ongoing efforts to modernise urban infrastructure and improve power supply systems’ reliability, safety, and aesthetics in rapidly growing metropolitan areas. The day began with a high-level review meeting hosted by BESCOM officials.

The project, launched in 2018-19, had already converted over 7,400 kilometres of 11kV OH lines and thousands of kilometres of low-tension lines into UG or aerial bunched (AB) cables. A key innovation has been the laying of Optical Fiber Cable (OFC) ducts along the UG cable routes to enable future telecom leasing as a revenue stream.

The Dy CM asked questions related to design and implementation challenges, some of which were – the financial structuring of the project, which includes loans from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Rural Electrification Corporation (REC), and other public sector banks, the reduction in technical losses and electrical accidents, which BESCOM confirmed had fallen by up to two per cent since the UG implementation, 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 BBMP, the role of Ring Main Units (RMUs) in ensuring system reliability and reducing downtime during faults.

The Deputy CM expressed appreciation for the scale and execution discipline of the project, while also noting the importance of integrating learnings into Telangana’s upcoming urban grid modernisation programmes, particularly for Future City.

Later in the day, Vikramarka visited a pilot site in Malleshwaram (15th Cross), where an Underground Distribution network including underground Transformer (DTR) system has been implemented. The site showcased 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, Bhatti Vikramarka engaged directly with engineers and contractors on-site, reviewing safety protocols, load balancing techniques, and provisions for emergency repairs. He noted how such innovations could be especially valuable in Telangana’s densely populated urban corridors.

Presentations were made by Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited, and Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company MD Pankaj Pandey and their team on the Bengaluru Overhead (OH) to Underground (UG) Power Conversion Project, which has emerged as one of India’s most comprehensive urban power infrastructure transformations.

Officials from the Government of Telangana, including Krishna Bhaskar, CMD, TRANSCO and Musharraf Faruqi, CMD, SPDCL also participated in the discussions.