High-level committee to be formed to tackle overhead wire clutter in Chandni Chowk

“Chandni Chowk is a very densely populated market area with narrow lanes and shops. If we dig up the roads and shift the overhead wires underground, and then some other department, say, digs up the road to lay a drain, sewer or water connection, it will affect the day-to-day business and livelihoods of people and traders and also lead to heavy traffic jams. To address this issue, a committee will be formed so that all the departments concerned work in sync with proper coordination,” said a senior government official.

Two stretches — More Sarai Road and Esplanade Road — were selected for the pilot project in Chandni Chowk. The project will later be expanded to other stretches. The overall estimated cost of the pilot project was around Rs 8 crore, officials said, adding that the revised plan will require a fresh cost estimate with the project cost expected to increase.

Why the delay?

The shifting of overhead electricity wires underground was announced earlier this year as part of the Delhi government’s plan to improve the reliability of utility infrastructure in Walled City.

Officials said the tendering process was delayed after the field survey revealed that the utility network was far denser than anticipated and involved multiple departments. “Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had instructed us that simply shifting the cables underground would not solve the problem. We should also build a utility duct. At present, this is one of the biggest problems in Delhi. With the increasing population over the years, utilities have been laid in an unplanned manner,” said another senior government official.

Earlier, sewer lines were laid about 30 feet below the ground, with water pipelines above them. Water and sewer networks were kept separate, but no proper drawings or maps were prepared at the time. Later, underground electricity cables were added, followed by Metro infrastructure. Gas pipelines came in after that, and subsequently internet, Wi-Fi, cable and other utility lines were laid, officials said.

“So far, the idea of underground cable network has simply meant removing the overhead wires and placing them beneath the ground. But what happens when repairs or maintenance are required later? If we want to modernise the city with proper infrastructure, we will have to build utility ducts that run alongside the cables. There can be no better showcase for this than Chandni Chowk,” the official said.

Officials added they had initially thought they could simply complete the work, but the lanes are so narrow that digging them up is not feasible. “The work will have to be carried out using different methods. An agency that had worked in the area earlier was also roped in to conduct a survey. That agency is now coordinating with the vendors, and the work order is expected to be issued in the next few days. Once the duct work begins, trenchless technology will have to be used in several stretches,” the official said.

The government will also assess where trenchless technology can be adopted, among other approaches.