COIMBATORE: The state government has passed an order allowing small commercial buildings and houses to get new electricity connection without submitting building completion certificates from the local bodies.
The exemption is given to residential buildings not exceeding either eight dwelling units or 750 square metres (8,073 square feet) of built-up area and for commercial buildings not exceeding 300 sq m (3,229 sq ft) area and 14 meters (45 feet) in height, states the G.O.
This news is a great relief for many shop owners who have been unable to obtain Electricity Board connections for several years.
Applications seeking new connections, particularly for commercial use, have been pending for months in several offices across the state due to the norms prescribed by the Tamil Nadu Combined Development and Building Rules, 2019.
As per the existing rule, to get a new power connection for a commercial establishment, the owner must submit the building completion certificate and the building plan approval from the local body.
Exemption from these norms is given only to houses with an area less than 750 sq m, provided they have three dwelling units. Even if a building is built on 400 sq m and has four houses, the house owner was asked to submit the completion certificate and the plan approval, said officials. The exemptions came into force in February 2020 and since then several applicants who built their establishments above the limit have been waiting to get new connections.
“The applicants who have submitted papers for more than three domestic connections for a building and the extended building for commercial purposes were hardly given new connections without construction completion certificates. However, many could not produce the building completion certificates as they had reportedly violated the plan while modifying their buildings to rent them out for commercial purposes. The issue is prevalent across the state. Now the government has brought some modifications to ease the process and it helps many commercial and residential buildings that have been waiting for new connections for a long period,” said an officer.
This will be implemented once Tangedco releases an official order with clarifications based on the new G.O. A day after the announcement made by minister S Muthusamy in the Assembly, the principal secretary Housing and Urban Development Department Kakarla Usha passed the G.O, the officer added.
New low-tension service connections will be given within a week and not exceeding 30 days. If the connections involve extension and improvement, but without a distribution transformer, the power connections will be given within 60 days. 90 days will be the time limit for new connections that involve extension and improvement with the distribution transformer, according to Tangedco officials.
Quick look
Previously exemption was given only to houses less than 750 sq m and it should have three dwelling units
Now houses not exceeding either eight dwelling units or 750 sq m (8,073 sq ft) of built-up area and commercial buildings not exceeding 300 sq m (3,229 sq ft) and 14 m (45 ft) in height are given exemption