CM Rekha Gupta Flags Off ‘First Hotline Maintenance Vehicle in India’; Inaugurates ‘Underground Electrical Network’ project

New Delhi: Taking significant steps towards developing world-class power infrastructure in the capital city, the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Government of NCT of Delhi Rekha Gupta along with Tata Power-DDL, today inaugurated the Underground Cable Network from Shalimar Bagh Khosla Grid to Netaji Subhash Place Circuit in North-West Delhi. She also flagged off a Hotline Maintenance Vehicle for live-line maintenance without the need of power shut off — a pioneering initiative being introduced for the first time in the country.

The event was graced by Ashish Sood, Hon’ble Minister for Home, Power, Urban Development, Education, Higher Education, and Training & Technical Education, Government of NCT of Delhi. Senior Government officials, Mr. Raj Kumar Rastogi

Chief – Operations & Safety, Tata Power-DDL, Mr. Surender Singh, Chief – Network Services & Stores, Tata Power-DDL and company leadership were also present at the occasion.

The primary objective of the project is to enhance public safety and network reliability of supply by replacing the 40+ year-old overhead conductor and rail poles with underground cables. So far, 33 kV twin (3C x 400 sq. mm) underground cables have been successfully laid from Shalimar Bagh Khosla Grid to Netaji Subhash Place Circuit. This Circuit passes through public parks, playgrounds, JJ clusters, and residential/commercial zones, posing safety risks. The work was executed with the support of Hon’ble Chief Minister.

Marking a slew of measures towards making Delhi a world-class city, the replacement of the 33 KV overhead conductor with an underground cable system seeks to transform the current infrastructure into a model distribution network. This scalable and replicable framework for power distribution can be extended to other parts of Delhi. The new underground electrical network is designed to overcome challenges such as jumbled overhead wires, power interruptions due to inclement weather, and compromised aesthetics due to overhead cabling and bring Indian cities at par with global standards.

Whereas, to minimise power interruptions and enhance operational efficiency Tata Power-DDL has deployed a Hotline Maintenance Vehicle — a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country. This specialized and insulated vehicle enables teams to perform live-line maintenance, working safely on energized distribution lines without the need to shut off power. The vehicle comes with an Insulated Aerial Boom (Crane) for facilitating access to overhead lines while maintaining safe electrical isolation, a non-conductive work platform Fiberglass Bucket ensuring technician safety during live-line operations, Hydraulic Controls providing smooth and accurate positioning of the boom, and Onboard Tool Storage equipped with insulated tools and personal protective equipment (PPE).

This advanced Hotline Maintenance Vehicle is equipped to perform critical tasks such as the replacement of insulators and conductors, repair of jumper connections and connectors, and tree pruning near energized lines — all while maintaining uninterrupted electricity supply. By eliminating the need for planned outages, it not only ensures continuous power to consumers, but also significantly enhances personnel safety, system reliability, and overall customer satisfaction.