<p>The Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC)’s recent directive barring electricity supply to buildings constructed in violation of approved plans is a welcome and much-needed step towards addressing the epidemic of illegal constructions that plague the state, particularly Bengaluru. For years, builders have flouted regulations with impunity, often abetted by complicit civic authorities, leaving citizens to grapple with overcrowding, failing infrastructure and heightened safety risks. </p><p>The KERC circular directs all six state-run electricity supply companies including BESCOM to refuse power connections to buildings that lack occupancy and completion certificates. This is in line with the Supreme Court’s judgement which had categorically ordered that water, electricity and sewage connections be granted only after verifying these documents and that a copy of the approved plan be displayed at the site throughout the construction period. That such an order needed reiteration speaks volumes of the systemic apathy and collusion that have allowed illegal constructions to thrive unchecked.</p>.<p>The directive strikes at a critical enabler of unauthorised constructions: access to essential services which have long been exploited by unscrupulous builders to give legitimacy to illegal structures. In Bengaluru, this has led to a proliferation of high-rises on tiny plots. These buildings lack structural integrity or compliance with norms. Tragically, this regulatory negligence has already cost many lives. The collapse of an illegally constructed building in Babusapalya, Bengaluru, last year, which killed nine construction workers, was a grim reminder of the human cost of allowing such structures to exist. Although the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) responded by tweaking the rules to rein in illegal constructions, the impact has been negligible on the ground. The real problem lies not just with builders who break rules, but with officers who look the other way – or worse, facilitate the violators. Large buildings do not spring up overnight – they are constructed over months, sometimes years, and their size and scale make it impossible for jurisdictional officers not to notice. If these officers are not held accountable, the new regulations, like many before them, will remain toothless.</p>.<p>The battle against unauthorised constructions cannot be won with directives alone. It requires zero tolerance, transparency in approvals, and real consequences for those who betray public trust, including officers and builders. For the residents and activists who have been tirelessly fighting this menace, the KERC order offers hope, but it must not be allowed to wither under the weight of bureaucratic indifference. The power must stay off for illegal buildings, and the light must finally shine on those who let them come up.</p>
<p>The Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC)’s recent directive barring electricity supply to buildings constructed in violation of approved plans is a welcome and much-needed step towards addressing the epidemic of illegal constructions that plague the state, particularly Bengaluru. For years, builders have flouted regulations with impunity, often abetted by complicit civic authorities, leaving citizens to grapple with overcrowding, failing infrastructure and heightened safety risks. </p><p>The KERC circular directs all six state-run electricity supply companies including BESCOM to refuse power connections to buildings that lack occupancy and completion certificates. This is in line with the Supreme Court’s judgement which had categorically ordered that water, electricity and sewage connections be granted only after verifying these documents and that a copy of the approved plan be displayed at the site throughout the construction period. That such an order needed reiteration speaks volumes of the systemic apathy and collusion that have allowed illegal constructions to thrive unchecked.</p>.<p>The directive strikes at a critical enabler of unauthorised constructions: access to essential services which have long been exploited by unscrupulous builders to give legitimacy to illegal structures. In Bengaluru, this has led to a proliferation of high-rises on tiny plots. These buildings lack structural integrity or compliance with norms. Tragically, this regulatory negligence has already cost many lives. The collapse of an illegally constructed building in Babusapalya, Bengaluru, last year, which killed nine construction workers, was a grim reminder of the human cost of allowing such structures to exist. Although the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) responded by tweaking the rules to rein in illegal constructions, the impact has been negligible on the ground. The real problem lies not just with builders who break rules, but with officers who look the other way – or worse, facilitate the violators. Large buildings do not spring up overnight – they are constructed over months, sometimes years, and their size and scale make it impossible for jurisdictional officers not to notice. If these officers are not held accountable, the new regulations, like many before them, will remain toothless.</p>.<p>The battle against unauthorised constructions cannot be won with directives alone. It requires zero tolerance, transparency in approvals, and real consequences for those who betray public trust, including officers and builders. For the residents and activists who have been tirelessly fighting this menace, the KERC order offers hope, but it must not be allowed to wither under the weight of bureaucratic indifference. The power must stay off for illegal buildings, and the light must finally shine on those who let them come up.</p>
