Lucknow, March 1 -- The state capital's power supply system is set for a major overhaul with an estimated investment of Rs.4,000 crore to modernise and strengthen electricity infrastructure, following a high-level review meeting chaired by defence minister and Lucknow MP Rajnath Singh's representatives on the minister's directives here on Saturday. "The meeting chaired by the defence minister's OSD KP Singh focused on making the city's power distribution network more robust, reliable and future-ready in view of rising demand and urban expansion. On the minister's directions, senior officials of the power department reviewed the current load situation, future demand projections and the progress of ongoing schemes," Diwakar Tripathi, former IAS and the Lucknow MP's representative, said. Member of Legislative Council (MLC) Mukesh Sharma suggested that in the first phase, power lines in at least five assembly constituencies should be shifted underground, particularly in main markets. He also proposed systematic relocation of transformers installed in the middle of roads and improvement of the aesthetics around power infrastructure. MP's public relation officer Raghvendra Shukla was also present in the meeting. Officials said the distribution network was being strengthened under the central government's Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS). The introduction of Aerial Bunched Cables, it was told, had significantly reduced power theft and brought down technical and commercial losses. However, it was pointed out that increasing urban load has led to line overloading at several locations. To address this, the officials said, the department was upgrading about 996 km of distribution lines, enhancing the capacity of 400 kV lines from around 400 amperes to nearly 700 amperes. High Tension Low Sag (HTLS) technology is also being adopted to allow higher power flow while reducing tripping incidents. At present, Lucknow has 102 power transformers. Proposals are under consideration to increase transformer capacity in land-scarce areas and to expand the number of substations from 48 to 54. New 400 kV stations are planned in Sitapur and Barabanki, which will help ease the load on Lucknow once operational. Officials said a detailed action plan will be prepared by April 30, after which all proposals will be implemented in a time-bound manner to transform Lucknow into a modern, well-managed power distribution city....