Amidst the fight against illegal commercialisation of residential areas, in the last three years (FY 2020–21 to 2022–23) the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) has collected over ₹8.49 crore in penalty from a total of 3,232 cases of consumers using domestic meters (L1 and L2) for commercial purposes.
According to officials, domestic meters are usually misused by consumers for small-scale commercial purposes. “Some people convert a portion of their house, like a shed or a garage, into small shops and use the same meter. Others set up day creches or playhomes. In some rare cases, people use it for construction purposes too,” a Bescom official said.
While 541 such cases were booked in 2020-21, the number jumped to 1,536 in 2022-23. A senior Bescom official said that this rise can be attributed to the resumption of commercial activities in the post-pandemic times.
