The Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) in a recent order to comply strictly with the Tamil Nadu Combined Development and Building Rules 2019 for providing electricity service connections.
The Tamilnadu Government notified the Tamil Nadu Combined Development and Building Rules, 2019 with effect from February 4, 2019. According to the rules, service connections for electricity, water, and sewage should be given by the service provider to all new buildings only when the completion certificate is produced. It exempted this rule for residential building upto 12 metres in height, not exceeding three dwelling units with 750 sq.m and all type of industrial buildings.
The Tangedco issued instructions to its officials in May and July last year to insist on building completion certificate for all new connections except for the exempted category.
K. Kathirmathiyon, secretary of Coimbatore Consumer Cause, said that without any order from the Court or the government to the contrary, the Tangedco withdrew the order of insisting on completion certificate in October last year. “This unilateral illegal action would again encourage unauthorised and illegal constructions and would lead to unhealthy and unplanned growth. Hence, we (Coimbatore Consumer Cause) immediately filed a PIL and obtained a stay order on October 22, 2020 against Tangedco’s circular dated October 6, 2020,” he said.
The court disposed of the Public Interest Litigation on March 18 and the first bench of Madras High Court ordered Tangedco to comply strictly with the Tamil Nadu Combined Development and Building Rules 2019 with regard to the grant of electricity service connections.
“We hope that hereafter people would not construct buildings with violation of Building Rules, compromising public parking area, fire safety measures etc.,” he said.
