More than 100 families in the Greater Noida area are awaiting connections to legal power

By Bricksnwall | 2025-01-11

The community, which consists of 120 apartments and houses about 400 people, depends on power that was obtained illegally thanks to arrangements made by the builder.

For more than a year, the Krishna Homes Apartment in the Jalpura neighborhood of Greater Noida West has struggled with serious power outages, leaving more than 100 residents in a state of helplessness and fear for their safety.

The community, which consists of 120 apartments and houses about 400 people, depends on power that was obtained illegally through arrangements made by the builder, Gaurik Green Homes Private Limited.

Residents claim that the builder neglected to provide legal power connections, resulting in unsafe and unstable power arrangements, even though they paid substantial sums for power connections at the handover.

However, the company confirmed that they already have the authorities' no objection certificate and that the electricity infrastructure setup is in progress.

According to the residents, formal legal connections were never set up, despite the builder collecting money for power hookups during the handover.

Once all legal requirements, including registration, were fulfilled, we moved into our apartments in October 2023. The builder agreed to install meters and charged ₹35,000 each apartment for a valid electricity connection. Amartya Sinha, the owner of a three-bedroom apartment in the housing society, stated, "But the builder has been hooking up power cables and supplying electricity illegally instead of arranging proper connections."

Residents said they sought assistance from local MP Dr. Mahesh Sharma and the Greater Noida government, but to no effect.

"The MP promised us in August 2024 that the Greater Noida administration would issue a NOC (no objection certificate) to allow Noida Power Company Limited (NPCL) to offer legal electrical connections. But it hasn't happened yet," Sinha continued.

Another resident, Dilip Sharma, stated: "We have been battling these problems for more than a year. Nothing has changed even after complaining to the MP and the authorities. Our only option is to depend on unauthorized electrical hookups.

"I feel powerless now that I have spent ₹36 lakh on a three-bedroom apartment. We weren't promised this kind of life when we made our investment," he continued.

However, the Greater Noida government asserts that Jalpura is outside of its purview. A GNIDA officer, who asked to remain anonymous, stated, "We do not have the authority to issue a NOC for any project in that area."

The builder has not yet received a NOC for the establishment from the Greater Noida government, according to NPCL officials. Only after receiving the authority's NOC for an electrical connection do we grant connections. Illegal arrangements like this one are never approved by the authorities. A legitimate connection will only be made available if the builder receives a NOC from the Greater Noida Authority (GNIDA), according to NPCL spokesperson Manoj Jhan.

"Any builder or individual found to be involved in illegal electricity connections will face strict legal action," Jha stated.

The director of the construction company, Devraj Bhushan, responded, saying: "All the necessary formalities were finished. However, a disagreement regarding a fraud involving government land in Bisrakh emerged in March 2024 between the authorities and a few unnamed persons. As a result, orders were issued prohibiting builders from being granted electricity hookups. It created disturbances. However, by setting up two diesel generator sets last summer and paying a fee of ₹45,000 per month, we were able to supply energy to the establishment.

Bills for electricity have been paid by us. Without the discom's knowledge, how can we be charged of power theft? Furthermore, the NOC was previously acquired. However, installing power infrastructure, such as electricity poles and transformers, is a continuous and time-consuming operation," he continued.

Source: Hindustan Times