The Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) has issued a notice to Mantri Serenity Apartments in South Bengaluru, directing it to address the alleged unauthorised operation of 30 lifts in two towers, according to a notice accessed by Hindustan Times Real Estate.
The lifts were reportedly operated without obtaining mandatory approvals from the Electrical Inspectorate. BESCOM has asked the apartment management to secure the required sanction within 15 days, failing which the lifts and potentially the installation’s power supply may be disconnected without further notice.
“If your Apartment has not obtained the Lift permissions as mentioned above till now, I hereby request you to kindly coordinate to arrange to disconnect these Lifts of Mantri Serenity Apartments immediately,” the notice said.
The notice refers to provisions under The Karnataka Lifts, Escalators and Passenger Conveyors Rules, 2015, which require a valid lift licence before commissioning and operation. BESCOM has requested that the apartment management obtain the necessary sanction within 15 days; failing to do so, the lifts and, potentially, the installation’s power supply may be disconnected without further notice.
“You are hereby requested to coordinate to get the sanction letter for the above-mentioned lifts within 15 days from the date of this letter. Otherwise, your Apartment Mantri Serenity lifts and/or your apartment installation power supply will be disconnected without any further notice,” BESCOM said.
Earlier, BESCOM had temporarily disconnected the power supply in July 2024, after an agency outsourced by Vista, Propcare Real Estate Management Private Limited, ignored paying the power bills regularly to the electricity supplier.
Occupancy certificate in place, but lift approvals pending
Despite receiving the Occupancy Certificate (OC) for the building in 2022, the developer allegedly failed to secure the mandatory lift approvals from the competent government authority, even after more than 3 years, according to homebuyers.
Dhananjaya Padmanabhachar, director of the Karnataka Homebuyers Forum, said the lapse exposes systemic gaps in enforcement. “If the Occupancy Certificate was issued in 2022, how were lifts allowed to operate without statutory approval from the Electrical Inspectorate?” he said.
He questioned the role of the planning authority, asking how the Bangalore Development Authority could issue an OC if essential services, such as lifts, had not obtained the required clearances. “In high-rise towers going up to 25 floors, how are homebuyers expected to access their apartments without approved lifts? This is not a minor procedural lapse but a fundamental safety issue,” Padmanabhachar said.
A list of queries has been sent to the developer. The story will be updated if a response is received.
