Power Theft! Builders illegal supply of Electricity!!

“Adinath Shantiniketan” is a residential apartment located at Manneswarar Nagar, Mannivakkam near Perungalathur on the outskirts of Chennai. The apartment was promoted by Aston Constructions Pvt. Ltd., promoted by Jitendra Bhandari, Akshay Seth and Anil Kumar Seth directors of the company.

Adinath Shantiniketan consists of 686 flats in total and 232 out of it has been sorted out for retirement community. All the apartment flats consisting of various blocks are inside a single compound. The apartment has been given approval by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority(CMDA) in the year 2012. CMDA has issued the Completion Certificate for the apartment in the year 2015.

Residents of Adinath Shantiniketan complain that the apartment requires power supply more than 5 MVA and the builders of the apartment have applied for Electricity Power Supply with the TANGEDCO mentioning that the load capacity required for the whole apartment was less than 5 MVA. As per TANGEDCO rules, if an apartment requests for an Electricity Power Supply more than 5 KVA, the builder of the apartment needs to allot a space inside the apartment premises to TANGEDCO for setting up a Electricity Sub-station. Just to avoid letting out space to set-up a sub-station inside the apartment premises, many of the builders opt to apply with the TANGEDCO requesting for Electricity Power Supply less than 5 KVA. As the same the promoters of Adinath Shantiniketan have mentioned in their application that the requirement of Electricity Power Supply was less than 5 MVA. This is a first malpractice that has been carried out by the promoter of the builder.

Out of the total 686 apartment flats, TANGEDCO has provided Electricity Power Supply approximately 70% of the apartment flats. Neary 30% of the apartment flats have not been provided with the Electricity Power Supply stating the reason that the capacity of the Electricity Power Supply provided to the residents have crossed the limit of 5 MVA says sources. In an intention to satisfy and avoid any controversies from the apartment flat owners, the promoters of the apartment have provided illegal Electricity Power Supply from the Electricity Power Supply that has been provided by TANGEDCO for common purposes like common lighting, water pump sets, Water Treatment Plant, Sewage Treatment Plants and other common usages.

Apart from the supply of illegal power supply and other malpractices related to it, the apartment residents suffer with improper construction of Sewage Treatment Plant. Residents complain that the sewage water overflows into children play area, Badminton Court and other open areas inside the apartment premises. Already the whole world is suffering by this Covid 19 pandemic and these sort of sewage water overflowing in common areas may lead to infections diseases like malaria, filaria, typhoid, dengue and many more diseases.

Residents of the apartment keep raising questions, how Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board(TNPCB) had issued a No Objection Certificate for an improper Sewage Treatment Plant that has been constructed. Doubts arise whether corruption has played a major role in issuing No Objection Certificate by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board.

Now immediate and proper action has to be initiated by TANGEDCO for Electricity Power theft and TNPCB to inspect the improper Sewage Treatment Plant.

Lets wait and see whether proper action is being initiated by the concerned government departments.