In an effort to address the growing menace of unauthorised constructions in the city, the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) said it will disconnect electricity connections to properties that violate building guidelines. However, the BESCOM said the action will be implemented only after formal requests from civic authorities, including the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), statutory bodies, and panchayat departments.
The development comes as the Supreme Court recently issued nationwide guidelines reinforcing this approach and had ruled that banks must verify occupancy certificates before sanctioning loans for buildings and directed service providers to withhold water, electricity, and sewage connections unless such certificates are presented.
The apex court on December 17 had ruled that banks and financial institutions cannot sanction loans against any building as security without verifying the occupancy certificate. The top court also said that water, electricity and sewerage connections shall be given by service providers only after the production of such a certificate.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had last year said that around 200 unauthorised buildings are there across the city and the revelation came after the collapse of an under-construction building in Babusapalya that claimed nine lives.
The survey that started on October 29 was done to identify violations and enhance safety in the city’s rapidly expanding urban landscape, The Hindu reported.
