The Karnataka Cabinet has decided to exempt residential buildings constructed on plots larger than 1,200 square feet within Bengaluru from the mandatory requirement of obtaining an Occupancy Certificate (OC), officials said, as reported by Hindustan Times.
The move follows public pressure over thousands of completed houses being denied electricity due to missing approved plans and OCs.
Under the exemption, buildings on plots larger than 1,200 square feet will be eligible for basic civic amenities, including electricity, provided they pass verification and compliance checks, according to a report by Bengaluru Mirror.
The decision comes after the Supreme Court had mandated OCs for power connections, leaving more than 3.3 lakh completed buildings across Karnataka without electricity. The cabinet’s one-time relief allows such buildings to legally obtain electricity connections through a specific legal framework.
The new measure builds on a previous cabinet decision that allowed OC waivers for buildings up to 1,200 square feet. However, officials noted that not all larger buildings will automatically qualify for the exemption. The government will selectively grant relief after verification, and penalties will apply for violations. New legal provisions will also be introduced in the legislature to prevent misuse.
In comparison, over 25,000 buildings in Mumbai currently lack legal OCs. Yet, municipal authorities and electricity providers in the city routinely grant water and electricity connections to these buildings, regardless of size, on humanitarian grounds.