CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Combined Development and Building Rules, 2019 has increased the height of non high rise buildings in the State up to 18.3 metres. This has put builders and developers in a fix, as state electricity department, is yet to update the norms on providing service connections to anything above 15 metres.
Builders Association of India state secretary, S Rama Prabhu, says that the state electricity board, which is yet to update its rules on building heights, is terming anything above 15 metres as high rise buildings. This is resulting in delay in getting the service connection.
Interestingly, developers and builders have flagged off this issue but rather than resolving it, it has further created confusion. State electricity board passed a circular on August 21, where it failed to acknowledge the height of 18.3 as a non-high rise building.
According to the circular accessed by Express, the state electricity department has directed its officials to issue service connections to buildings whose height, as per the planning permission is 15 metres, without any physical measurement of the height.
The circular acknowledges the complaints that field officials are measuring the height of the building and delaying effecting of service connections on minor issues such as physical verification of the building height for electrical safety compliance as per the Regulation 36 of the Central Electricity Authority (Measures relating to safety and electric supply) Regulations, 2010. But rather than providing a remedy, it fixes the height of a high rise building as 15 metres.
The circular, issued by the technical branch of Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Ltd, stated that if the height of the building is more than 15 metres, necessary approval from the Electrical Inspector shall be obtained from the applicant before effecting service connection.
Builders Association of India has said that they will flag off the issue with the Housing secretary and Housing minister.
The state electricity board should have updated its rules based on the new rules which came into effect, said Prabhu. S Sridharan, chairman, Urban Development/ Affordable Housing Committee, Credai National, told Express that they have been representing the issue with the state energy secretary, Tangedco and also the housing secretary.
“The failure to abide by new norms where the height of non high rise buildings in the State has gone up to 18.3 metres is delaying many projects,” he said.