BESCOM prefers laying cheaper overhead cables

BESCOM prefers laying cheaper overhead cables
Vijay Times

Bangalore: Bescom has instructed its field officers to provide Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker (ELCB) and Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB) in customers electrical installations to avoid electrical accidents.

ELCB and MCB in electrical installations are provided to ensure safety. It has come to the notice of Bescom that many customers have not been provided ELCB and MCB, and if provided, they are disconnected, a Bescom press release said.

Failure in providing ELCB and MCB has led to many instances of electrical accidents, causing damage to equipments and precious human life. The field officers should strictly adhere to the provisions of codes to ensure ELCB and MCB are provided for electrical installations. VTN

SUBHASH CHANDRA N S

Bangalore: After laying underground (UG) cables in few parts of the City, Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) has now changed tact preferring to cover the rest o Bangalore with improved overhead insulated cables.

The change in strategy comes with Bescom fearing high costs in laying UG cables, which are considered much more safe than the overhead ones that have been risky, often falling during heavy rains and thundershowers.

Vasanth Kumar, Director (Technical) Bescom said, the plan now entails replacing the present overhead metal cables with aerial bunch of cables (ABC) which would be safely insulated.

In the ABC, each wire would be separately insulated, bunched and then wholly insulated to ensure double safety in case of collapse during heavy winds or thundershowers.

The work is likely to begin within six months and tenders are being called from interested parties to take up work on contract basis.

Bescom would also survey the city to identify areas where cables pose a danger and take up work there, he said.

Those areas where electric wires run close to houses and within reach of people, especially children, will also be converted on priority basis, he added.

Explaining the high cost factor in UG cables, Kumar said these were at least ten times costlier than overhead cables while the ABC were five times costlier than the conventional cables.

"In case of trenchless cutting to lay UG cables, the cost would be even higher," he said. "Laying UG cables is financially not viable, while its maintenance too is difficult as they are underground and detecting faults would be a problem requiring manpower." However, Kumar said cables all over the City would not be converted to ABC as it would be a herculean task. The City has about 4,000 kms of overhead HT lines and 12,086 kms of LT (low tension) lines. "Even if we are ready to invest on underground cables we need the regulatory commissions approval," he said.

Bescoms serious consideration to convert existing cables to safer ones came following the electrocution of Anish, the seven-year-old son of a US-based techie, in July 2004 in Indiranagar.

Bharat Lal Meena, the then Bescom Managing Director, had assured undertaking work on replacing electric poles and wires as a precautionary measure.

However, Mondays death of nine-year-old Narayanaswamy by electrocution in K Mallasandra in Adugodi, has only revived the issue.

8 8 The strategy change comes with Bescom fearing high costs in laying UG cables

88 UG cables are considered more safe than the overhead ones

88 Aerial bunch cables will be safely insulated

88 Work likely to begin within six months