CHENNAI: Electricity and water supply is indeed an essential service for people, but certainly not so for those who violate approved building plans, Madras high court has said.
"The court may feel that disconnection of electricity may hinder not only the violators, but also the family members. In such an event, the authorities/court must ensure that while passing interim / final orders in the application, the electricity charges, property tax, water and sewage charges must be five times to the violators, till such time the violation is set right, and the building is rectified in terms of the plan," said a division bench of Justice S Vaidyanathan and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy on Friday.
"It (electricity) has got to be fixed at the premium rate till the illegal building is brought back in accordance with the plan," the court added.
This apart, officials must make a periodical surprise inspection to violated places to check about the theft of electricity. If exorbitant rates are foisted, it will affect the monthly budget of the violators and they will think twice to violate, as the charges are recurring one, the judges said.
They further added that courts must be slow in granting relief, much less interim relief in cases where violators approach the court for relief, as even a direction for disposal of representation will give rise to another round of litigation and Judges must ensure that no leniency is shown to the violators.
The bench passed the order while dismissing a plea moved by B Kanchana, a Chennai city resident, seeking direction to the authorities to regularise her residential building which was constructed in violation of the approved building plan
