Indore power outages have fallen by nearly 50% in several targeted areas after overhead electricity wires were replaced with underground cables under the central government’s Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme, according to MP Paschim Kshetra Vidyut Vitran Company (MPPKVVCL).
The improvement has been recorded across targeted feeders in Sirpur-Chandan Nagar, Malwa Mill and Khajrana, where low-tension overhead wires were replaced as part of the distribution-network upgrade. MPPKVVCL Indore city superintending engineer Manendra Garg said the work had significantly improved power reliability in the three areas.
Garg said the replacement of overhead infrastructure had virtually eliminated local operational disruptions linked to exposed low-tension lines. Earlier, tree branches, falling commercial hoardings, bird interference and vehicle collisions could trigger local trip-outs on the network. Underground cables remove the exposure of those lines to several of these street-level risks, the official said.
The project has also changed the physical appearance of the affected streets by removing traditional utility poles and tangled overhead wiring. Residents in the targeted areas have welcomed the change, citing both more reliable electricity supply and improved street aesthetics.
Mohammad Rafique, a resident of Ashrafi Nagar in Khajrana, said the replacement of overhead wires with underground lines had ensured uninterrupted power supply in the area. The project’s reported reduction in complaints provides an early operational measure of the impact of the investment, although the supplied report does not specify the absolute number of complaints recorded before and after the work.
The work is part of the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme, a central government programme being used to modernise electricity distribution infrastructure. In Indore, the intervention has focused on selected urban feeders rather than the city’s entire distribution network. The reported results therefore relate to the targeted areas identified by the utility.
MPPKVVCL has also undertaken similar underground power-line projects in Ujjain and Mandu in Madhya Pradesh. In Ujjain, the infrastructure is being prepared in connection with the upcoming Simhastha Kumbh, while work in Mandu is linked to the requirements of the historic heritage town in Dhar district.
Garg said the modernisation effort was aimed at establishing a more resilient power distribution network across major urban and heritage hubs in western Madhya Pradesh. The next implementation milestone will be the continued execution of underground cabling projects in Ujjain and Mandu, alongside the operation of the upgraded feeders in Indore.
