BENGALURU: Site allottees of the Bangalore Development Authority’s Arkavathy Layout can now think of building houses here as the area will finally get power supply. The work order to install an electric substation and related infrastructure for this Layout was issued to a private firm on March 26. Twelve years after the Layout was first formed, it still suffers from the absence of basic amenities. The 600-acre Layout is located between Bellary Road and Old Madras Road and stretches across 13 villages, including Jakkur, Rajanahalli, Sampigehalli, Thanisandra, Hennur, K Narayanapura and Byrathi Khane.
While nearly 6,000 houses can be built on this Layout, many site allottees have still not built houses on their sites purchased here. The absence of basic infrastructure is cited as one of the reasons. Residents of the 185 houses built and occupied here presently pay a hefty sum to BESCOM for the temporary electrical connections they have taken.The Rs 221-crore contract has been bagged by a private firm. Three top BDA officials confirmed to The New Indian Express that the Layout is finally set to get electricity within three months.
“The Layout was plagued by litigation over the years. We were not able able to provide any infrastructure as a consequence. The contract runs to a period of 18 months but the infrastructure to provide immediate power supply will be in place within three to six months,” said a top official.The laying of electrical lines that will draw power from other feeder lines will be completed within three to six months, he said.
“As soon as this is in place, residents can use this power supply and give up the temporary connections they are utilising now,” the official said. Another official explained that the substation would also be set up to cater to the future requirements of the Layout when other houses get built.
According to a BESCOM official, the minimum tariff charged in the case of a regular connection is Rs 2.90 per unit up to 30 units. “There are different slabs and we charge depending on the units consumed. However, in the case of temporary connections, the rates treble. There is no slab system in place and we charge Rs 9.50 for each unit of power consumed,” he said. Another senior BDA official said that the process of creating road infrastructure in the Layout was also under way.