Kerwa green belt loses its foliage to electricity cables

BHOPAL: Use of rudimentary technology for overhead power distribution could cost the road along Kerwa area its thick forest cover.
The power discom is using conventional bare conductor passing through the road stretch instead of private fields, in a bid to avoid ire of influential people. On Thursday, local residents including a senior member of State Legislative Assembly lambasted the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) for chopping branches of trees.
The ruckus led to the immediate halt to the intervention. Sources said that power discom earlier passed the electric pole line through open fields. “Electrical pole will only pass through the road. The line is being laid to provide electrical supply to nearby BMC pumping station,” said an on-site power discom official.
“On one hand, the Smart City Corporation is displacing thousands of people for laying underground electrical cable line, on the other the power discom is out to chop dozens of trees along the road in the Kerwa greenbelt,” said a local resident, seeking anonymity.
MP Madhya Kshetra Vidyut Vitaran Company limited, chief engineer (city circle) Binay Kumar Sinha did not respond to questions. Locals are questioning the use of conventional bare conductor overhead distribution system. Aerial bunched cables can also be utilised and it would not require larger destruction of the trees.
As per estimated over 100 trees are likely to be chopped by over 10-metres. If cables are utilised the circumference would be substantially reduced.