Gandhinagar: The Gujarat government on Wednesday announced a major overhaul of its electricity infrastructure, proposing ₹600 crore for modernising the state’s power distribution network, with a focus on urban safety and border security.

Presenting the Budget 2026-27, Finance Minister Kanubhai Desai said the state’s electricity system has been recognised nationally for efficiency. Citing the 16th Finance Commission report, he noted that Gujarat’s power distribution network has been described as the best in India, and the new investments aim to strengthen reliability while improving public safety and urban aesthetics.

The government has proposed ₹500 crore under the Gujarat Wire-Free City Mission to convert overhead power lines in urban areas into underground cabling.

Officials said overhead wiring is often responsible for outages during storms, accidental fires and road hazards, besides creating visual clutter. Shifting cables underground is expected to reduce power disruptions caused by weather and accidents, improve pedestrian and traffic safety, enhance city appearance and lower maintenance requirements in the long term.

Urban local bodies and power distribution companies will implement the project in phases across major cities and towns.

In a separate measure linked to national security considerations, the government announced ₹100 crore to upgrade power lines in sensitive border regions.

Instead of conventional overhead wires, the state will install a state-of-the-art elevated cable network designed to minimise sabotage risk, improve durability and ensure uninterrupted supply in strategic areas.

Authorities indicated the strengthened network will support defence establishments, border villages and surveillance infrastructure, where power reliability is critical.

The combined initiatives aim to make the power network safer in cities and more resilient in strategically important areas. The government said the projects will also help reduce outage response time and protect infrastructure from natural and human-caused damage. DeshGujarat