Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Tuesday launched a first-of-its-kind initiative to transform Punjab into the country’s first state with pole-free villages by laying the foundation stone of an ambitious underground electricity wiring project in his native village Satoj. In a major relief to farmers and rural residents, the Bhagwant Mann government has started undergrounding power cables to prevent crop fires, fatal accidents and frequent power interruptions caused by overhead lines, while also freeing villages from the maze of dangerous poles and tangled wires.
Under the pilot project, 384 electric poles will be removed from Satau and underground cables will be laid without digging the roads, which CM Bhagwant Singh Mann declared as the beginning of “Roshan Punjab” built on modern infrastructure, uninterrupted power supply and safe villages. Describing the “Satauj Model” as a roadmap for the entire country, the Chief Minister said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has fulfilled its promise of creating wire-free villages for the farmers of Punjab and said the underground power supply will also end the politics over installing electric poles in villages.
Addressing a gathering, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “Today is a historic day for the villages of Punjab as a major project to free the villages from the web of electric wires and unnecessary poles is being launched from here. Under this pilot project, all the overhead power lines in Satoj will be taken underground at a cost of about ₹8 crore. This is the first project in the country, and with this initiative Punjab will emerge as a model project for the entire country.”
Giving technical details of the project, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “Under this project, seven kilometer long high tension lines, 9.5 kilometer long low tension lines and 41 kilometer long service cables connecting the houses of 800 consumers will be laid underground. All the high tension lines connected to the 66 KV grid from Satoj to the village through three 11 KV feeders and 28 transformers will go underground. After this, a historic initiative. In, all low tension lines will go underground.” 28 transformers and meter boxes will also be kept underground.
The Chief Minister further said, “The cables connecting the meter boxes in all the houses will also be taken underground, thereby removing 384 unnecessary electric poles. A special feature of the project is that there will be no need to dig roads to lay underground cables as trenchless drilling machines will be used to lay underground pipes. These pipes will be laid three feet below the ground, which will prove to be a big boon for the common people.”
Highlighting the dangers posed by overhead power wires, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “Electric poles and overhead wires pose a risk of electrocution to animals and people, especially children. Accidents often occur when tractors, combine harvesters and other vehicles come in contact with overhead wires. Similarly, incidents of crop fire cause huge losses to farmers. Rains, storms and strong winds damage poles and wires, electricity The supply is disrupted and the power corporation suffers financial loss.”
Describing the project as a win-win initiative for the public, the Chief Minister said, “The network of poles and wires also affects the aesthetic appearance of the villages. By shifting high tension and low tension lines underground, power leakage will be eliminated, thereby reducing transmission and distribution losses. Villages will get uninterrupted power supply, underground wires will significantly reduce accidents, incidents of crop fire due to power lines will be prevented, and rains and strong winds will Power supply will not be disrupted. Removing unnecessary poles and tangled wires will further increase power supply.” The beauty and appearance of the villages.”
CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said that this project will be remembered as a historic initiative in the history of Punjab. “This project is being started from my birthplace and will be written in golden letters in the history of Punjab. From this village, the Punjab Government has started a project which no other state in the country has even thought of till now. This project has become possible because my dream is becoming a reality today. This project was conceived years ago.”
The Chief Minister further said, “Today’s initiative is directly related to the lives of common people. In the coming days, these electric poles will become history.”
Recalling the tragic incidents of the village, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann became emotional and said, “Three youths of this village lost their lives due to electric shock in their combine harvester. They were the sole earners for their families. This project is a tribute to those youths as such tragic incidents should never happen in future.”
Describing the initiative as a transformative model for the country, the Chief Minister said, “The ‘Satauj Model’ will be known across the country for providing great relief to the people in villages and cities. The world is talking about settlements on Mars, while our people were still entangled in the issues of roads and drains. The Punjab government has started the digital revolution in Punjab. RTO services have been digitalized and easy registry system has been implemented with simple language.”
CM Bhagwant Singh Mann further said, “Earlier the registry documents were prepared in difficult language, which the common people could not understand, due to which they had to run from one office to another. However, now people can get their registry done from any tehsil within the district.”
Referring to the Punjab government’s anti-sacrilege law, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “The Punjab government has made a strict law against sacrilege, which has a provision of punishment up to life imprisonment, so that in future no one can dare to disrespect Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. The Almighty has given me the opportunity to serve humanity through the Jagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Sathkar Amendment Act 2026, which prohibits sacrilege. Provides for harsh punishment.”
The Chief Minister said, “The previous rulers neither had the intention nor the will to enact laws to prevent sacrilege, due to which desecration of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji became a regular occurrence during their reign. However, the Act passed by the Punjab Government will put a stop to it as no one would ever dare to indulge in this unpardonable crime.”
CM Bhagwant Singh Mann further said, “The present Punjab Government is fully committed to the sanctity and respect of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji and to ensure strict action against anyone indulging in acts of sacrilege. The Government is deeply committed to the Sikh values and public sentiments. This land has seen times that have hurt the psyche of the entire Sikh Sangat. The Punjab Government has now enacted this law to ensure that such incidents do not happen in the future. Only a few A select group of people, who think they are a cult, are opposing it.” Because their hands are wet with incidents of sacrilege.”
Highlighting the health care initiatives of the Punjab government, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said, “Mukhyamantri Sehat Yojana has been launched, under which health cards are being issued to all 65 lakh families of Punjab. Each family is entitled for free treatment up to Rs 10 lakh. More than 30 lakh beneficiaries have already received health cards, while 1.65 lakh people have received free treatment under the scheme. I urge people to make the most of these cards. “I am.”
The Chief Minister further said, “The Punjab government has launched Mawan Dhiyan Satkar Yojana, under which every woman will be entitled to ₹1,000 per month and Scheduled Caste women will get ₹1,500 per month. The funds will be transferred directly into bank accounts and women already receiving social security pension will also be eligible. About 97% of the women in Punjab are expected to benefit from the scheme, for which the Punjab government has allocated ₹9,300 crore in the budget.”
On this occasion, Cabinet Ministers Harpal Singh Cheema and Tarunpreet Singh Sond and others were also present.
Sharing excerpts on X, CM Bhagwant Singh Mann said: “Taking another historic step towards building the “Roshan Punjab” of our dreams, a state-of-the-art project of undergrounding of electric wires has been launched today in village Satoj. This initiative will not only enhance the look of villages and towns, but will also provide complete protection to urban and rural areas from power cuts and accidents during storms and strong winds.’
“With this project, households, commercial establishments and agricultural areas will get uninterrupted, safer and more efficient power supply, thereby improving the quality of life of every citizen. This initiative is an important part of our larger vision of restoring Punjab as a true ‘Rangla Punjab’, where transparency and high quality work is being ensured at every level. The AAP government is working day and night with full dedication to serve you and the progress of Punjab,” the post concluded.
