New Delhi, May 20 -- Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Tuesday launched a pilot project to shift electricity lines underground in his native village Satoj in Sangrur district, saying the initiative would pave the way for Punjab to become the country's first state with pole-free villages.

The project, estimated to cost around Rs.8 crore, will see 41 km of service cables, seven km of high-tension lines and 9.5 km of low-tension lines laid underground. A total of 384 electricity poles will also be removed from the village.

Mann said the project aims to prevent crop fires, electrocution incidents and power cuts caused by overhead electricity lines. He said underground wiring would also improve the appearance of villages and reduc...