With the state government scrapping the Occupancy Certificate (OC) requirement for plots up to 1,200 sq ft, thousands of pending power and water connection requests will finally be cleared.
In a landmark decision that has brought cheer to thousands of households, the Karnataka government has done away with the requirement for an Occupancy Certificate (OC) for buildings constructed on plots measuring up to 1,200 sq ft.
The move is expected to benefit at least 33,000 families in Bengaluru, whose power connection applications with Bescom were left in limbo after the Supreme Court had earlier made an OC mandatory for utilities like electricity and water. Bescom officials confirmed that they will now begin processing these long-pending requests immediately.
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Similarly, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is set to clear nearly 10,000 pending applications for water and sewerage connections for properties falling within the new exemption category.
However, the relief does not extend to all property owners. Bescom still has close to 60,000 pending applications, and BWSSB about 14,000, which remain stalled as they belong to plots larger than 1,200 sq ft. This has prompted homeowners’ associations and urban activists to call for similar relaxations for larger plots, arguing that the OC process should be made more accessible and less time-consuming across the board.
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Experts believe this decision will significantly ease the burden on small homeowners who were left in a prolonged state of uncertainty despite having legally built houses. Urban planners, however, have urged the government to maintain strict checks on building safety while offering such relaxations to avoid violations of building codes.