Both Dhaka north and south mayors as well as State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid have been saying for long that cables would go underground but there seems to have been little progress.
Nasrul on Monday said the work would be done within the next four years, one year less than the time limit had spoken about in early February 2020.
“The work on underground cabling has already started and it’s now in progress in Dhanmondi area of the city,” he said while inaugurating the installation of 5kW vertical wind turbine -ONUVA- on the campus of Bangladesh University of Professional (BUP) in the city.
In February, Nasrul said the move was “not only for beautification but also for ensuring uninterrupted and secured power supply”.
State-owned Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) and Australian firm Energy Tron R&D KIS Group signed a contract for a Tk 25.3 crore job of taking overhead electric cables underground in Sylhet, Cumilla, Chattogram and Mymensingh.
Making Dhaka free of overhead cables
In January, parts of the Sylhet City Corporation became free of overhead cables after an underground electricity transmission system was introduced.
But things have not been so rosy in the overcrowded capital city where precariously dangling overhead cables – electricity, internet and dish TV lines – remain a common sight.
Also read: Overhead cables on Gulshan Avenue to go underground: DNCC Mayor
Although the city corporations operated drives to remove the cables, they are yet to see any success. The overhead cable reappeared within a few days after the mobile courts finished their drives.
After meeting leaders of Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB) and Cable Operators Association of Bangladesh (COAB) last month, Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh said they reached a consensus over taking all overhead cables underground by November.
“We want to make Dhaka free of overhead cables,” he said, adding that the city corporation would extend all necessary cooperation to ISPAB and COAB.
Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Mayor Atiqul Islam, on the other hand, said the cables would be taken underground in phases.
In January, UNB ran a report on a committee formed by the Power Division identifying conflicts among the Nationwide Telecommunication Transmission Network (NTTN) and internet service providers (ISPs) as a major roadblock to the government’s efforts to free the city of dangling cables.
Also read: Overhead cables of DSCC to go underground by November: Taposh
Sources said the Power Division’s move is part of the government plan to take underground all kinds of overhead cables within the next few years. They said DPDC and Desco, engaged in power distribution in the city, had undertaken a project to shift their overhead electric cables underground in Dhanmondi and Gulshan.
Green energy potential
State Minister Nasrul on Monday said transparency in power and energy sector would be strengthened through introducing modern technologies, including smart grid and smart metres.
He also noted that the government had been providing incentives to promote renewable energy across the country.
Also read: Undergrounding electricity wraps Sylhet in elegance
Nasrul mentioned that wind mapping was conducted between 2014 and 2017 at different places across the country.
“The wind speed was found to be 5.75 to 6.25 metres per second which could generate about 20,000MW wind power in the country,” he said.
State Minister Nasrul said the DNCC has undertaken a 45MW waste to energy plant to produce electricity from garbage.
Also read: Overhead electric cables in major cities to go underground in 5 yrs: Nasrul
Another 6MW waste to energy plant will be set up in the Narayanganj City Corporation area. A proposal was sent to the Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase for approval.
On the other hand, he said, different projects of a total capacity of 1,570MW was approved to set up solar power plants.
Vice-Chancellor of BUP Major General Ataul Hakim Sarwar Hassan also addressed the function on Monday.
Also read: Obnoxious overhead cables still dangling in Dhaka amid infighting