32 Power Feeders to Shift for Metro Work

GURUGRAM: Work to shift 32 high-tension power lines and feeders from the carriageway between Hero Honda Chowk and Umang Bhardwaj Chowk is expected to finish by the end of September, the National Highways Authority of India said on Monday, clearing space for Gurugram Metro construction on the stretch.

The feeders are being moved from the carriageway towards the roadside. NHAI officials said three feeders under their scope have already been shifted and that the remaining 12 under NHAI will be moved by month-end. Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam said it has already shifted 10 feeders that obstructed the proposed metro line and will shift the remaining seven by the end of this week.

A senior GMDA official said shifting the electricity feeders and a 66 kVA power station along the road was a priority because the utilities had been blocking the metro carriageway. A senior NHAI official said work to shift the feeders has started, that all 17 under the agency's coordinated plan would be shifted by month-end, and that NHAI is working with DHBVN to meet that target. Construction of a 66 kVA electricity substation along the road is also underway and is likely to finish by year-end, the official added.

Shyambir Saini, superintending engineer, DHBVN circle one, said the 66 kVA substation in Sector 37 C has already been commissioned and that shifted feeders have been connected there. He said the remaining seven feeders under DHBVN would be completed by the end of this week. Saini said the shifting work was delayed because the stretch is busy and most shutdowns are taken on weekends, when industrial load is easier to manage.

"A large number of industries are also supplied electricity from these feeders, and on the weekend, it is easier for the utility to take a shutdown. We will complete the remaining work in the next one to two weeks," he said.

A senior GMDA official said utility shifting along the metro carriageway is being treated as a top priority so that metro civil work does not stall for want of clear right of way. A meeting is scheduled soon to take up pending coordination issues among the agencies.

The Hero Honda Chowk to Umang Bhardwaj Chowk corridor carries heavy industrial and commercial traffic. Night and weekend shutdown windows reduce the risk of daytime outages for factories that draw power from the same feeders. Once lines are moved to the side, metro pier and viaduct work can proceed without repeated utility conflicts.

NHAI, DHBVN and GMDA tallies together cover the 32 feeders flagged for relocation. Progress reported on Monday shows more than a third already shifted, with the balance queued through September. Officials said connecting relocated feeders to the new Sector 37 C substation is meant to keep supply stable while the old carriageway alignments are dismantled.