TN rules out laying underground cables

Chennai, Jan 4 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister P. Thangamani on Friday ruled out the possibility of laying underground cables instead of installing High Tension (HT) transmission towers through farm lands, saying such a technology did not exist.Addressing the Assembly, over the protests by farmers against erection of HT towers in farm lands in several districts, he said underground cables could not be laid as such a technology did not exist even in US.He said HT transmission towers were being installed to receive 6,000 MW of power from Chhattisgarh, of which 4,000 MW was for Tamil Nadu and the remaining 2,000 MW for Kerala.Thangamani also pointed out such a corridor was already on in other states including Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.Thangamani said the power had to be brought from Chhattisgarh to Kerala, covering 13 districts in Tamil Nadu, including Salem, Erode, Tiruppur, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts, involving a total distance of 1,766 km. Stating that HT towers were installed in farm lands during the previous DMK regimes from 1996 to 2001 and 2006 to 2011 and also during the AIADMK regimes, the Minister said the farmers did not protest then.But this time the protests were being instigated, he said. The "protests will only result in a loss for Tamil Nadu", he said.
--IANS str/mr