Residents of a high-rise apartment complex on Bengaluru's Bannerghatta Road were plunged into darkness for an entire day due to a financial dispute between the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) and the building's developer. The power cut, which affected 150 households, stemmed from unpaid electricity dues amounting to approximately Rs 2 lakh.
Residents Caught in the Crossfire
The residents of Disha Loharuka Solaris in Gottigere took to social media platform X to voice their frustration. They explained that the electricity supply to the entire building was severed on Wednesday because dues from 30 unoccupied flats remained outstanding. The occupied flats had reportedly cleared their bills.
Resident Binay Biswal appealed to Bescom, urging them to disconnect power only from the defaulting flats instead of punishing all occupants. He expressed helplessness, stating that a Bescom Junior Engineer decided to cut power arbitrarily, and complaints for hours yielded no result.
Another resident, Bhaskar, called the action "atrocious and illegal." He emphasized that the bills were under a single name, but the meter numbers of the 30 vacant, defaulting flats could be easily identified for selective disconnection.
Bescom's Stance and the Builder's Disappearance
Assistant executive engineer Venkatesh Sagar from Bescom's Begur sub-division clarified that the apartment complex had pending dues for over a year. He noted that in typical scenarios, new owners transfer connections to their names, which did not happen in this case.
The core of the problem lies with the builder. Residents expressed their helplessness, alleging that the developer has absconded without transferring the electricity connections to the individual flat owners' names. Furthermore, the builder has not provided crucial documents like the Occupancy Certificate, Completion Certificate, and Property Identification Numbers.
Murtuza Johar, a resident, revealed that the Bescom connection remains under the builder's name. He added that the builder collected maintenance fees for two years from many who hadn't even occupied their flats. The residents have filed a police case against the missing builder.
No Resolution in Sight
Despite the residents' pleas, Bescom officials refused to remove the meters of the 30 defaulting flats separately. Assistant engineer Venkatesh CD confirmed the dues were close to Rs 2 lakh and stated that the apartment association had requested a 15-day window to clear the amount. The disconnection proceeded, however, leaving 150 families in a lurch due to a dispute not of their making.
The incident highlights a critical gap in utility management for housing societies when developers fail to fulfill their obligations, leaving innocent homeowners to bear the consequences.
