The Bengaluru Electricity supplies Company (BESCOM) has interrupted electricity supplies to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium due to dissatisfaction with the Karnataka State Cricket Association’s (KSCA) compliance with fire safety requirements.
This decision was made when the Director General of the Department of Fire and Emergency Services directed BESCOM to stop power due to unresolved safety issues. Currently, the historic stadium, which houses reigning Indian Premier League (IPL) winners Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), is reliant on backup generators.
“Based on the DG’s recommendation, we served notice to KSCA in the second week of June and disconnected power for three days,” an official told The Times of India.
The Karnataka High Court had already chastised BESCOM for continuing to deliver power to the stadium despite being aware that it had violated fire safety regulations.
The issue arose at a hearing on a petition filed by KSCA disputing BESCOM’s notice to discontinue power delivery, which was issued on June 12.
According to the KSCA’s lawyer, power was briefly restored on June 17 following a court application. However, BESCOM’s counsel underlined that the connection would be terminated again until and until the government gave permission.
Justice S Sunil Dutt Yadav presided over the case and expressed significant disapproval of the blunders, stating, “If fire safety standards are not met, the stadium should remain in darkness.” We can’t risk another calamity.”
The judges emphasised that BESCOM should not reconnect electricity without government clearance and warned of severe consequences if safety rules were violated. The KSCA’s petition was intended to urge clemency, but the court responded firmly, stating that “zero tolerance” would be applied to fire safety offences.
The court has issued notices to BESCOM’s Managing Director, Assistant Executive Engineer, and Director General of Fire and Emergency Services, rescheduling the hearing for July 15.
It is important to note that the dispute originated from a May 2023 fire safety advisory that KSCA allegedly could not effectuate, and this resulted in the Fire Department stepping in. BESCOM initially acted on the disconnection order on June 10, but legal challenges have protracted the resolution.
“We (Bescom) refused to give KSCA 15 days’ time and served them another notice on June 20, asking them to comply with safety protocols within seven days, failing which power supply would be discontinued. With the seven-day deadline ending and KSCA yet to get back, we disconnected supply to the stadium Monday morning,” a Bescom engineer was quoted as saying by the English daily.
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