The Hindu : New Delhi News : Underground substation for Delhi

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Tuesday, Nov 03, 2009
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New Delhi

Underground substation for Delhi

Smriti Kak Ramachandran

It is being built by the Metro Rail Corporation near Rashtrapati Bhavan

‘DUAC did not want us to keep the transformers on the surface level’
‘It is an exercise quite common abroad and we must learn from it’

NEW DELHI: After an underground shopping plaza and an underground metro railway, Delhi will soon get its first underground substation near Rashtrapati Bhavan. The substation being built by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is for feeding two of its important upcoming lines -- the Airport Express Line that will run between New Delhi railway station and the airport and the Central Secretariat-Badarpur line.

According to officials, the substation, which will in turn be fed from Park Street substation of the Delhi Transco Limited, will be constructed at Church Road near Rashtrapati Bhavan on the North Avenue side. “There was an objection from the Delhi Urban Arts Commission over construction of the substation. The Commission felt the transformers and the substation in itself will spoil the view of the President’s House and insisted that there should be an alternate arrangement,” said an official.

To meet the requirements of DUAC and the electricity rules, the substation will now be built underground with the oil-based transformers lowered six metres below the ground. “It is for the first time we are doing this in the city. The DUAC did not want us to keep the transformers on the surface level, so we lowered them into the ground as well. And since electricity rules do not permit covering the transformers, we decided to leave them open on top,” said the official.

Underground substations are common abroad and officials said they should be seen as an option in a city where space is at a premium. “It helps save space, we can use the surface areas for other purposes like creating a park or a recreational area. Underground substations also help in maintaining the character of the place without disturbing the elements, like in the case of Rashtrapati Bhavan. It is an exercise quite common abroad and we must learn from it,” said a Power Department official. Referring to the safety and the maintenance aspect of the substation, he said: “Underground substations are safe and not difficult to maintain.”

Though the proposal is yet to get a formal go-ahead from the DUAC, officials said work on the project, which should be ready by June-July 2010, will begin in the next few days.

The tentative date for commissioning of the Airport Express Line is August 2010, while the Central Secretariat-Badarpur line is scheduled for a September 2010 opening.

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