Flat owners at Maurishka seek separate Mescom meters

Flat owners at Maurishka Park Apartment have approached Mangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (Mescom) demanding separate meters to prevent disconnection of power to their flats.

The demand follows the move of the Maurishka Park Apartment Owners’ Association to disconnect electricity connection and backup generator facility to the flat owned by Shantaram Prabhu and his wife Veena Shantaram.

Sunil Monteiro, Mescom Mannagudda Sub-division assistant executive engineer, confirmed that the flat owners from the Apartment had met him and sought separate electricity meters.

“As per the agreement between the builder and Mescom, only one meter was fixed at the HT installation, under HT4 tariff. The tamper-proof ‘sub-meters’ to individual flats were, however, installed by the builder,” Monteiro told DH.

With the Association dragging its feet on filing a case and recovering Rs 3.6 crore from builder Ramesh Kumar of RK Builders, there has been apprehension among the owners that the Association was not safeguarding their interest. The apprehension, however, appears to be justified.

According to the documents in possession of DH, Dayananda Rai K, who is the Association president and an advocate, had filed Vakalat, representing Ramesh Kumar in more than half a dozen cases.

In one case, Rai had facilitated the settlement of an amount of Rs 1.95 crore. He had appeared on behalf of his client in a recent case disposed of by National Lok Adalat on July 14, 2018.

The press release on Friday informed that of the 360 flat owners, 11 were not in contact with the Association as they were yet to register their sale deeds.

Unknown to many owners, CPC India Limited – on whose land the condominium was built – had filed suit against Ramesh Kumar and 90 others for dishonouring the agreement to build and transfer 90 flats to them.

Association ‘misleads’ reporters

Dayananda Rai K, Maurishka Park Apartment Owners’ Association president, while justifying their decision to disconnect electricity supply to Shantaram Prabhu and Veena Prabhu’s flat triumphantly quoted a ‘recent ruling’ of Karnataka High Court in the case (MFA No 9656-2015) which had upheld the provisions of deed of declaration (DoD) of the association under Karnataka Apartment Ownership Act 2012.

Rai promised to give copies of the case (MFA No 9656-2015) but failed to deliver them to mediapersons.

According to copy of the case, obtained by DH, Rai, who is a practising advocate, had mislead mediapersons by quoting an out-of-court settlement arrived between the respondent (Balaji Paradise Apartments Welfare Association) and appellant (flat owner). This case was disposed by High Court Judge H G Ramesh subject to the result of a suit filed in lower court on January 12, 2016.