BWSSB's demand notices of up to Rs 1 lakh leave Bengaluru property owners stunned

Bengaluru: Property owners in Bengaluru have been caught off guard after the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) issued demand notices ranging from Rs 50,000 to over Rs 1 lakh for failing to regularise temporary sanitary connections within the stipulated two-year period.

Several owners said the penalties were imposed without prior warning, alleging that the BWSSB did not adequately communicate the revised penalty rule when it was introduced over a year ago.

They also pointed out that the notices had clubbed monthly penalties, resulting in a steep one-time payment.

Since March last year, the BWSSB has been levying a penalty of Rs 2,500 per month per house or flat on under-construction buildings that continue to use temporary sanitary connections beyond two years.

While the decision was approved by the board in January last year, residents alleged that the penalty was neither made public nor reflected in monthly bills.

The water board, which serves over 12 lakh households across the city, justified the move by citing the prolonged misuse of temporary sanitary connections. According to BWSSB officials, nearly 14,000 buildings have retained temporary connections meant primarily for construction workers.

As per norms, property owners are required to apply for regularisation once construction is completed. However, some continue to use temporary connections, particularly when they depend on borewell water or private tanker supply.

Applying for a regular connection also involves payment of pro-rata charges — infrastructure fees — which can run into several thousand rupees.

Earlier last week, the Karnataka Rashtra Samiti (KRS) filed a complaint with the BWSSB, seeking a rollback of the demand notices. The party alleged that BWSSB engineers were issuing arbitrary penalty notices and threatening citizens.

KRS State General Secretary Raghupathi Bhat said the issue could have been avoided had the penalty been transparently included in monthly bills.

“If the first penalty had appeared in the water bill, owners would have regularised the connection immediately. Instead, consumers are now being asked to pay penalties accumulated over the past year in one go. This is unjust and illogical,” he said.

Responding to the issue, BWSSB Engineer-in-Chief Dalayath BS said he would look into the matter.