No OC, No Extra Power: TGSPDCL Rule Leaves Thousands of Hyderabad Buildings in Trouble

Hyderabad: A recent tightening of rules by Telangana Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TGSPDCL) has caused serious inconvenience to electricity consumers across Greater Hyderabad. The new requirement of an Occupancy Certificate (OC) for additional electricity load in certain old buildings has led to thousands of pending applications, leaving many consumers without adequate power supply.

What Is the New TGSPDCL Rule?

TGSPDCL has made it mandatory to submit an OC for additional power load in:

• Buildings more than 10 metres in height
• Structures constructed after 2017
• Applications seeking additional load or higher KVA capacity

Officials say the rule was introduced to curb illegal constructions, fake OCs, and irregular power connections that surfaced during vigilance inquiries.

Why Was the Rule Introduced?

According to power department officials:

• Several buildings received electricity connections without valid permissions
• Fake OCs and certificates were allegedly used by some contractors
• Vigilance inquiries led to action against staff and contractors
• TGSPDCL decided to tighten scrutiny before granting new or additional connections

Consumers Face Severe Inconvenience

The stricter norms have resulted in unavoidable hardship for consumers:

• Many applications have been pending for 3–4 months
• An eight-year-old building seeking additional load was denied due to lack of OC
• A Karmanghat building, connected a decade ago, applied for 160 KVA load but remains pending for three months
• Building owners claim files are not moving despite repeated visits

Thousands of Applications Stuck

Officials confirmed that:

• Thousands of electricity connection applications are pending across 10 circles of Greater Hyderabad
• Circle-level officers are refusing to relax rules
• Even old buildings with increased consumption are affected
• Suburban areas like Shamshabad and Moinabad are facing darkness due to delayed new connections

Category 8 Connection: A Costly Alternative

TGSPDCL officials stated that:

• Electricity can still be provided under Category 8
• Consumers will be charged ₹12 per unit
• This option is being used as a temporary solution for those without proper documents

Confusion Over Old Buildings Continues

While the rule applies clearly to post-2017 constructions, officials admit there is:

• Confusion regarding older buildings
• No final clarity from the CMD on whether actual load can be sanctioned
• Pressure from local representatives leading to inconsistent decisions

Public Demand for Clear Guidelines

Consumers are urging TGSPDCL to:

• Issue clear and uniform guidelines
• Avoid blanket rules for genuinely old buildings
• Speed up decisions on pending files to prevent power disruptions

The OC rule for additional electricity load, though aimed at controlling irregularities, has now become a major challenge for residents and businesses in Hyderabad. Unless clarity is issued soon, power-related problems are likely to worsen across the city.

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