BESCOM Cuts Power To Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium Over Fire Safety Violations

The Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) has severed electricity supply to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, citing the Karnataka State Cricket Association's (KSCA) failure to comply with fire safety regulations.

Why Electricity Department Cut Power To Bengaluru Stadium?

The move comes after the Director General of the Department of Fire and Emergency Services directed BESCOM to cut power due to unresolved safety concerns. Currently, the stadium is operating on backup generators.

"Based on the DG's recommendation, we served notice on KSCA in the second week of June and disconnected power for three days," The Times of India quoted an official as saying.

The Karnataka High Court had earlier criticized BESCOM for continuing power supply despite being aware of the stadium's fire safety violations. The issue surfaced during a hearing on a petition filed by KSCA, challenging BESCOM's disconnection notice issued on June 12.

According to KSCA's counsel, power was briefly restored on June 17 following a court filing, but BESCOM's lawyer clarified that the connection would be cut again unless the government provided clearance.

Court's Strong Remarks

Justice S Sunil Dutt Yadav, presiding over the case, expressed strong disapproval of the lapses, stating, "If fire safety norms are not met, the stadium should remain in darkness. We cannot risk another disaster."

The bench emphasized that BESCOM should not restore electricity without government approval and warned of strict consequences if safety protocols were ignored. KSCA's plea for leniency was met with a firm response, with the court asserting that "zero tolerance" would be applied to fire safety violations.

The court has issued notices to BESCOM's Managing Director, Assistant Executive Engineer, and the Director General of Fire and Emergency Services, adjourning the hearing to July 15.

The dispute stems from a May 2023 fire safety advisory that KSCA allegedly failed to implement, prompting the Fire Department's intervention. BESCOM initially acted on the disconnection order on June 10, but legal challenges have prolonged 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," the English daily quoted a Bescom engineer as saying.