local matters Nagar-ites help city apartments
Two JP save lakhs of rupees
In addition, BESCOM added monthly penalty charges of `4680 on the apartment block. This is where Arathi and Ramaswamy, both past presidents of BM’s Mayflower Block residents association stepped in. They found out that excess load claimed by BESCOM was actually the power needed to run the fire hydrant pumps (statutory requirement for high rises) that come into play during emergencies only. The builder Brigade Enterprises also confirmed this. Also, in the event of a fire, all the power utilities need to be shut down as a measure of safety. And, the fire pumps themselves are all never operational at the same time. Therefore the issue of all the equipment being used ‘simultaneously’ and thereby exceeding the sanctioned load, did not arise. Arathi Manay Yajaman and OP Ramaswamy behind the fire hydrant pump for which the load was sanctioned. Pic: Yogaraj Mudalgi.
They persisted with what is right
and have saved scores of Bangalore’s apartments lakhs of rupees in 2011. Arathi Manay Yajaman and O P Ramaswamy of JP Nagar challenged BESCOM’s levy of penalties on their appartment complex and won their case. In Aug 2010, BESCOM sent a notice to Brigade Millennium (BM) residents associations dated telling them that while their sanctioned load was 99.47 kW, they had connected a load of 177.85 kW. BM was not being singled out. Similar notices sent around the city to appartment complexes with multistorey buildings. On BM’s Mayflower block alone, BESCOM imposed `29,484 as back billing penalty for ‘unauthorised load’.
However despite filing written objections with BESCOM and meeting their subdivision’s engineer, BM residents’ explanations were not accepted. BESCOM continued to impose penalties in monthly bills instead. Worried, Brigade Millennium residents decided to start paying the penalties to avoid disconnection, and did so in protest, says Arathi. Residents also started preparing to file applications for increased load, which Arathi estimates would have amounted to `1 lakh for the Mayflower block. Arathi then wrote to BESCOM Managing Director, P Manivannan, who had taken over in October. Despite a fresh visit by BESCOM engineers at BM, nothing changed - penalties remained on the bills. But Arathi and Ramaswamy did not relent. Arathi wrote to the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) in December pointing out the issue.
Underpass update: leakage fixing
Repair is going on in one direction of the Puttenahalli underpass, because groundwater is seeping on to the surface. J M Yadav, Manager, Engineering Projects (India) Ltd, which is the contractor, said the underpass is closed for minor repair works and would open soon.
Then KERC acted and that remedied the situation. BESCOM was forced to revise its position and sent a letter to Arathi on January 12th saying they were withdrawing their notices. A General Manager (Commercial) at BESCOM confirmed that the revision had since been communicated to all divisions. With this verdict, all multistorey buildings with fire fighting equipment that received the original penalty notices from BESCOM can rest. In action to set things right for their own apartment complex, Arathi and Ramaswamy set the problem right in one stroke for all the city. ⊕
Subramaniam Vincent
Vol-2 Issue-25 15-28 Jan 2010 CITIZEN MATTERS 7