The Mission will cover all 17 municipal corporations and 151 municipalities of Gujarat.The Gujarat government seeks to turn all cities of the state into “wire-free urban centres” by converting the existing overhead power distribution network into an underground cable network by 2030.To achieve the target, the state cabinet gave its in-principle approval to the Gujarat Wire-Free City Mission on Wednesday.The Mission will cover all 17 municipal corporations and 151 municipalities of Gujarat.Senior minister and spokesperson of Gujarat government Jitu Vaghani announced the decision in a media briefing.“…under the ‘Gujarat Wire-Free City Mission,’ all cities across Gujarat will be transformed into wire-free urban centres in a phased manner by 2030. As part of the first phase of this ambitious initiative, the state government has approved a provision of Rs 500 crore,” the minister stated.Quoting Vaghani, an official release stated, “…under the Gujarat Wire-Free City Mission, the existing overhead power distribution network in urban areas will be comprehensively converted into an underground cable network. As part of the initiative, more than 14,600 circuit kilometres of high-tension overhead lines and over 31,400 circuit kilometres of low-tension overhead lines will be shifted underground in a phased manner across the state.”“In the first phase of the project, the existing 11 kV overhead power lines will be converted into underground cable networks, followed by the phased undergrounding of low-tension distribution lines,” it added.Story continues below this adVaghani said that the underground cabling network will help prevent incidents such as damage to wires and short circuits during natural disasters. He added that the reduction in technical faults and outages will enhance the reliability of the power distribution system, ensuring citizens receive an uninterrupted, high-quality electricity supply.