IESCO eyes Rs750m from RCB

Sources say payment will be made by Jan 2024

RAWALPINDI:

In a significant move, the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) has given the green light to pay Rs750

million against a demand note issued by the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) in the first week of January for the ambitious project to underground the electricity system in Saddar Bazaar.

The decision marks a crucial step in enhancing safety and aesthetics in the bustling business hub of the cantonment.

The estimated cost of the project, focusing on three main roads connected to Saddar’s major markets, is Rs850 million. Out of this, Rs750 million will be allocated to IESCO, while the RCB has also initiated the process of awarding a civil work contract valued at Rs90 million.

Simultaneously, the IESCO has kicked off the procurement process for the necessary equipment to implement the undergrounding of the electricity system. The targeted roads in Saddar Bazar, where overhead wires and poles will be removed, include Mall Road, Kashmir Road, Hyder Road, Bank Road, and the northern side of Mall Road’s service road.

Read Surge in electricity prices proposed

The completion timeline for this ground-breaking project is set at eight to nine months. RCB sources emphasise the transformative impact, stating that the undergrounding of the electricity system will not only enhance safety measures but also eliminate accidents. Moreover, the project is expected to contribute to the beautification of the roads where the electricity infrastructure will be placed underground.

Cantonment sources reveal that stringent instructions have been issued to ensure the quality and timely completion of the underground transmission of the electricity system project.

Furthermore, bazaars in Saddar initially excluded from the first phase will be incorporated into the second phase of the undergrounding project. This expansion is in line with the commitment to comprehensively address the electricity infrastructure needs of the entire Saddar area.

Read Net Metering – an impending source of relief for consumers

Connecting the old commercial area of Rawalpindi to the underground electricity system has also become necessary because at present these dangling electric wires at Saddar Bazar, Adamji Road, Bank Road, Kashmir Road, Hyder Road, Police Station Road and the Cantonment General Hospital Road and their adjoining areas are daily causing accidents besides are affecting the aesthetic appeal of the commercial area.

In these areas, the incidents of wires breaking from poles, transformers catching fire, power systems being badly affected in rain and wind storms and the power system not being functional again for many hours have become a norm.

Sources said the issues of safety and security have also started arising due to the garrison power supply of the city’s largest commercial being connected to the age-old system of poles.

Given the security issues, it was decided to make the electricity system underground in all these markets.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 26^th, 2023.