BESCOM cuts power to M Chinnaswamy Stadium following fire safety violations

The Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) has halted the supply of electricity to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium after not being satisfied with Karnataka State Cricket Association's (KSCA) compliance with fire safety regulations.

This decision has been taken after the Director General of the Department of Fire and Emergency Services instructed BESCOM to cut power because of unsettled safety concerns. Currently, the iconic stadium, which is the home to current Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), is relying 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," an official was quoted as saying by The Times of India.

The Karnataka High Court had earlier lambasted BESCOM for carrying on supplying power to the stadium even after being aware that it had breached fire safety guidelines. The matter emerged during a hearing on a petition filed by KSCA, challenging BESCOM's notice to discontinue power supply, issued on June 12.

As per KSCA's counsel, power was restored on June 17 for a brief period in the aftermath of a court filing. However, BESCOM's lawyer clarified that the connection would be severed yet again until and unless the government gave clearance.

Presiding over the case was Justice S Sunil Dutt Yadav, who conveyed strong disapprobation of the errors, mentioning, "If fire safety norms are not met, the stadium should remain in darkness. We cannot risk another disaster."

The bench stressed that BESCOM should not reinstate electricity in the absence of government approval and forewarned of stern repercussions if safety protocols were disregarded. KSCA's motive behind the plea was requesting clemency, but it met with a firm response, as the court maintained 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.

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.