The Assam government has announced a Rs 2,500-crore project to move Guwahati's overhead power cables underground in a phased manner, marking the first large-scale underground power distribution initiative anywhere in the state. The project, led by the Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL), is intended to modernise the city's electrical infrastructure, improve public safety, and build a distribution network resilient enough to withstand the storms and flooding that routinely knock out power across large parts of Guwahati.
The first phase, budgeted at Rs 200 crore and funded under the central government's Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), is already defined in detail. It covers five specific corridors: Paltan Bazar Square; AT Road from Paltan Bazar to Bharalumukh; MG Road from Bharalumukh to Panbazar; GS Road from Paltan Bazar to GMCH Road, including GMCH Road itself; and GS Road from Bhangagarh to the Dispur Secretariat — a stretch that runs through some of Guwahati's busiest commercial and administrative corridors.
Background
The project responds directly to a chronic problem in Guwahati: an ageing, largely overhead power network of poles, exposed conductors, transformers and substations that becomes visibly fragile every monsoon season. APDCL has routinely had to switch off distribution transformers as a precautionary safety measure during urban flooding to prevent electrocution or equipment failure, extending outages beyond what the storm damage alone would cause. In one widely reported instance in May 2025, a severe storm knocked out power across large parts of Guwahati, including Uzan Bazar, Silpukhuri and Bhangagarh, for more than 12 hours. Heavy rain has repeatedly triggered extended precautionary power cuts across the city in the seasons since, with APDCL citing safety rather than damage as the primary reason for the outages in several recent incidents.
APDCL has previously outlined other, smaller-scale fixes for this same underlying fragility — replacing exposed conductors with insulated ones, building ten new substations across Guwahati to ease load on the existing grid, and improving outage-monitoring systems to make repairs faster and more targeted. Those measures remain years away from full implementation. The underground cabling project represents a more fundamental, capital-intensive approach: rather than hardening or monitoring the existing overhead network, it removes the exposed-wire vulnerability from the equation entirely along the corridors it covers, at a scale — Rs 2,500 crore for the full city rollout — that dwarfs the incremental substation and conductor upgrades APDCL has pursued so far.
Key Details
- Total project cost: Rs 2,500 crore, to be executed in a phased manner across Guwahati
- First phase cost: Rs 200 crore, funded under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS)
- First-phase corridors: Paltan Bazar Square; AT Road (Paltan Bazar-Bharalumukh); MG Road (Bharalumukh-Panbazar); GS Road (Paltan Bazar-GMCH Road, including GMCH Road); GS Road (Bhangagarh-Dispur Secretariat)
- Technical scope: conversion of 33 kV, 11 kV and low-tension (LT) power lines to underground cabling
- More than 100 Ring Main Units and around 350 Feeder Pillar Boxes to be installed
- Cables to be laid via direct buried trench along busy roads beside footpaths and drains, with Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) used at drain or road crossings where feasible
- Project framed by APDCL as building a disaster-resilient power distribution system for Guwahati, the gateway city of Northeast India
At a Glance
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full project cost | Rs 2,500 crore (phased) |
| Phase 1 cost | Rs 200 crore (RDSS-funded) |
| Phase 1 corridors | 5 (Paltan Bazar, AT Road, MG Road, GS Road x2) |
| Ring Main Units planned | 100+ |
| Feeder Pillar Boxes planned | ~350 |
| Lines being converted | 33 kV, 11 kV, LT |
| Laying method | Direct buried trench + HDD at crossings |
Local Impact
For residents and businesses along the five first-phase corridors — some of the most commercially active stretches in the city, including Paltan Bazar and the GS Road corridor running toward the Dispur Secretariat — the immediate near-term impact will likely be construction-related disruption as cable trenches are dug alongside footpaths and drains. Once completed, however, those same stretches stand to see meaningfully fewer monsoon-linked outages compared to areas still served by the exposed overhead network, potentially creating a visible reliability gap between converted and non-converted parts of the city during the years the full rollout takes to complete. For Guwahati's broader civic landscape, removing overhead wiring along dense commercial corridors also has a direct visual and safety benefit, cutting down on the tangle of exposed cabling that has long been both an eyesore and, during storms, a genuine electrocution risk to pedestrians and residents.
What Happens Next
With the first Rs 200-crore, five-corridor phase already scoped in technical detail, construction — trenching, Ring Main Unit and Feeder Pillar Box installation — is expected to proceed corridor by corridor in the coming months. The pace at which APDCL rolls out subsequent phases to cover the remaining Rs 2,300 crore of the project will determine how quickly the rest of Guwahati sees similar reliability improvements; underground cabling projects of this scale in other Indian cities have typically taken multiple years to complete in full. Whether the city sees any noticeable reduction in monsoon power cuts along the converted corridors during the next rainy season will be an early, visible test of whether the project is delivering on its resilience goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Guwahati's underground power cable project?
It is a Rs 2,500-crore APDCL initiative to move Guwahati's overhead 33 kV, 11 kV and low-tension power lines underground in a phased manner, starting with a Rs 200-crore first phase covering five corridors in the city.
Which areas are covered in the first phase?
Paltan Bazar Square, AT Road from Paltan Bazar to Bharalumukh, MG Road from Bharalumukh to Panbazar, GS Road from Paltan Bazar to GMCH Road, and GS Road from Bhangagarh to the Dispur Secretariat.
Why is Guwahati building underground power cables?
Guwahati's ageing overhead power network has repeatedly caused extended outages during monsoon storms and flooding, with APDCL routinely switching off transformers as a safety precaution. Underground cabling removes this exposed-wire vulnerability along the corridors it covers.
How is the first phase being funded?
The Rs 200-crore first phase is funded under the central government's Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS).
What equipment is being installed as part of the project?
More than 100 Ring Main Units and around 350 Feeder Pillar Boxes are planned, alongside conversion of 33 kV, 11 kV and low-tension power lines to underground cabling.
How will the cables actually be laid?
Cables will primarily be laid via direct buried trenches along busy roads beside footpaths and drains, with Horizontal Directional Drilling used at drain or road crossings where feasible.
Has Guwahati had major power outages recently?
Yes, a May 2025 storm knocked out power across large parts of the city, including Uzan Bazar, Silpukhuri and Bhangagarh, for more than 12 hours, and heavy rain has repeatedly triggered extended precautionary outages since.
Is this the only step APDCL is taking to improve reliability?
No, APDCL has also outlined plans to replace exposed overhead conductors with insulated ones, build ten new substations across Guwahati, and improve outage-monitoring systems, though these measures are separate from the underground cabling project and remain years from full implementation.
Sources
Assam Tribune, Wire & Cable India, PragNews, Business Northeast, Ajmal IAS Academy, Pratidin Time (Dailyhunt).