HC Derides TSSPDCL for Withholding Connections at Shankar Hills Layout

 Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has directed TS Southern Power Distribution Company Ltd (TSSPDCL) to provide electricity connection to the individual plot owner of Shankar Hills layout, Vattinagulapally village in Gandipet mandal.

There is a title dispute over the said layout, which has 3328 plots and all those were sold between 1983 and 1986. Some realtors and private persons with registrations deeds of the years 1997, 2005 and 2013 are claiming that at the said layout land, cases pertaining to over 460 acres of land in Survey No.s. 111, 134 to 139, 146/A/1, 148 to 158, 159/A, 161, 162, 165, 166, 171, 178, 179, 180, 181, 183, 189, 190, 191, 181/A are pending across forums.

Citing this as the reason, the electricity department refused to provide connections to the plot owners with sale deeds drawn between 1983 and 1986.

Justice Nagesh Bheemapaka censured TSSPDCL officials for not providing electricity connection to the plot owners on the ground that the said layout is in dispute. The judge observed that it seems that higher authorities of TSSPDCL are hand in glove with the realtors ,who are claiming the land with different registrations and not giving connections to the middle class plot owners.

The judge said that the Gujarat High Court, while dealing with the Yogesh Lakhmanbhai Chovatiya case, had held that ownership or right of occupancy has nothing to do with grant of electricity connection to a consumer.

In its affidavit, TSSPDCL stated that the developer of the layout has to create required infrastructure like sub-station, electricity poles, lines and transformers. It is stated that applicants have to furnish a welfare society certificate stating that they have no objection in providing a new service connection to the applicant.

Based on this, the judge viewed that there was collusion between the authorities and the realtors. He questioned the basis on which the electricity department had decided about the genuineness of the plot owners when their sale registration deeds had not been declared as void by any court in over 30 years.