Power connections to be barred for unauthorised constructions

To curb the rampant growth of unauthorised constructions in the master plan areas of the development authorities, the state housing and urban development (H&UD) department has directed the electricity distribution licensees not to give power connections without the approval of the concerned authorities.

In case of construction of buildings with more than two floors or high rises, the H&UD department has mandated not to give power connections without the approval of the development authorities like Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) or Cuttack Development Authority (CDA).

Similarly, in case of buildings with up to two floors, the distribution companies must ask for building plan or permission for construction of the premises for which the supply is sought.

A notification from H&UD said the owner of a building has to apply for electricity connection with approved plan or permission for construction issued by the competent authorities.

In case of the occupants of high rise buildings the power supply will be given by the distribution licensee only after production of the occupancy certificates issued by the competent authorities.

Welcoming the newly notified orders to put brakes on unauthorised constructions, D S Tripathy, the national joint secretary of Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (Credai) said, "The development authorities must ensure that the occupancy certificate is issued in a time bound manner, say within 30 days from the date of application provided other things are complied by the developer or occupier as per the law."

Tripathy said, the issuance of certificates for occupancies are delayed for several months and this hampers the interest of the end-users.

He also pitched for taking action against the concerned officials if they fail to provide the certificates in a definite period. In another development, the BDA has abolished conditional approval of building plans for construction of three-storeyed buildings and beyond.

BDA will issue the approval only on compliance of all no-objection certificates, clearances and onsite as well as offsite infrastructure development.