Sangrur: An underground power wiring project launched by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Maan He described it as a first of its kind initiative to make the state the first state in the country to have poll-free villages on a pilot basis in his native village Satoj here.Mann said the project will prevent crop fires, fatal accidents and frequent power cuts due to overhead lines, and will also free villages from the maze of dangerous poles and tangled wires.Under the pilot project, 384 electric poles will be removed from Satauj and underground cables will be laid without digging the road.Describing the “Satauj Model” as 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 said underground power supply will also end politics over installation of electric poles in villages.“Today is a historic day for the villages of Punjab as a big project to free the villages from the web of electric wires and unnecessary poles is being launched here.Addressing a gathering here, Mann said, “Under this pilot project, all the overhead power lines in Satoj will be taken underground at a cost of about Rs 8 crore. This is the first project in the country and with this initiative Punjab will emerge as a model project for the entire country.”Giving technical details of the project, Mann said, “Under this project, seven kilometer long high tension lines, 9.5 kilometer long low tension lines and 41 kilometer long service cables connecting the houses of 800 consumers will be laid underground.”All the high tension lines connected to the 66 KV grid Satoj to the village through three 11 KV feeders and connected to 28 transformers will go underground. He said that after this, under a historic initiative, all the low tension lines from 28 transformers to meter boxes will also be laid underground.The cable connecting meter boxes to all houses will also be underground, removing 384 unnecessary electric poles.A special feature of the project is that there will be no need to dig roads for laying underground cables because trenchless drilling machines will be used to lay underground pipes. He said that these pipes will be laid three feet below the ground, which will prove to be a big boon for the common people.Highlighting the dangers posed by overhead power wires, Mann said that electric poles and overhead wires pose a risk of electric shock to animals and people, especially children.Accidents often occur when tractors, combine harvesters and other vehicles come in contact with overhead wires.Similarly, farmers suffer huge losses due to crop fire incidents.He said rains, storms and strong winds damage poles and wires, disrupting power supply and causing financial loss to the power corporation.The network of poles and wires also affects the aesthetic appearance of the villages. By shifting high tension and low tension lines underground, power leakage will be eliminated, thereby reducing transmission and distribution losses, Mann said.“Villages will get uninterrupted power supply, underground cables will significantly reduce accidents, crop fires caused by power lines will be prevented, and power supply will no longer be disrupted by rain and strong winds. Removing unnecessary poles and tangled wires will further enhance the beauty and appearance of the villages.”Recalling the tragic incidents in the village, Mann said, “Three youths from this village lost their lives due to electric shock in their combine harvester. They were the sole earners for their families. This project is a tribute to those youths as such tragic incidents should never happen in the future.”Referring to the anti-sacrilege law, Mann said the state government has enacted it against sacrilege, which has a provision of punishment up to life imprisonment, to ensure that in future no one would dare to disrespect the Guru Granth Sahib.He said, “The previous rulers neither had the intention nor the will to enact laws to prevent sacrilege, due to which desecration of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji became a regular occurrence during their reign. However, the Act passed by the Punjab Government will put a stop to it as no one would ever dare to indulge in this unpardonable crime.”