<p>Bengaluru: With the state government doing away with the Occupancy Certificate (OC) mandate for buildings built on a plot size of 1,200 sq ft or less, at least 33,000 families in Bengaluru will now be able to get power and water connections.</p>.<p>An OC is a mandatory certification to prove that the building is safe to move in. </p>.<p>Bescom, which is sitting on a huge pile of applications, said it will now start to process these requests that had been stalled following a Supreme Court order mandating an OC for power and water supply connections.</p>.<p>According to Bescom sources, close to 33,000 applications seeking power supply may get the eagerly awaited connection. </p>.<p>“New connections are also a big source of revenue for Bescom. However, owing to the Supreme Court order, we had to keep the applications on hold. Now, since the state government has made changes, we will start providing connections to these properties,” a senior Bescom official told DH. </p>.<p>Similarly, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) will also start processing close to 10,000 applications falling in the said category. </p>.<p>“We had received close to 24,000 applications that had no OC. Out of this, close to 10,000 might have been in a plot less than 1,200 sq ft. We will start providing them water supply,” a senior BWSSB official said. </p>.<p>However, another 60,000 applications will remain pending with Bescom and close to 14,000 applications will be in a similar status with the BWSSB since they do not fall in the said category. </p>.<p>While many home owners who were left in a lurch are now relieved, many others urged the state government to provide concessions for bigger plots as well.</p>.<p>“The government should at least consider buildings that have already been constructed," said Ravi (name changed), an owner of a house built on a 1,500 sq ft plot. "Many of us applied for power and water supply connections just a few days after the mandate was announced. We have invested lakhs on the building and a sudden change will make it very difficult for us since it will have a financial impact as well.” </p>
<p>Bengaluru: With the state government doing away with the Occupancy Certificate (OC) mandate for buildings built on a plot size of 1,200 sq ft or less, at least 33,000 families in Bengaluru will now be able to get power and water connections.</p>.<p>An OC is a mandatory certification to prove that the building is safe to move in. </p>.<p>Bescom, which is sitting on a huge pile of applications, said it will now start to process these requests that had been stalled following a Supreme Court order mandating an OC for power and water supply connections.</p>.<p>According to Bescom sources, close to 33,000 applications seeking power supply may get the eagerly awaited connection. </p>.<p>“New connections are also a big source of revenue for Bescom. However, owing to the Supreme Court order, we had to keep the applications on hold. Now, since the state government has made changes, we will start providing connections to these properties,” a senior Bescom official told DH. </p>.<p>Similarly, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) will also start processing close to 10,000 applications falling in the said category. </p>.<p>“We had received close to 24,000 applications that had no OC. Out of this, close to 10,000 might have been in a plot less than 1,200 sq ft. We will start providing them water supply,” a senior BWSSB official said. </p>.<p>However, another 60,000 applications will remain pending with Bescom and close to 14,000 applications will be in a similar status with the BWSSB since they do not fall in the said category. </p>.<p>While many home owners who were left in a lurch are now relieved, many others urged the state government to provide concessions for bigger plots as well.</p>.<p>“The government should at least consider buildings that have already been constructed," said Ravi (name changed), an owner of a house built on a 1,500 sq ft plot. "Many of us applied for power and water supply connections just a few days after the mandate was announced. We have invested lakhs on the building and a sudden change will make it very difficult for us since it will have a financial impact as well.” </p>