Apartment owners in Hyderabad face costly transformer installation demand

HYDERABAD: Apartment owners in Hyderabad are facing a hefty financial burden as the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has issued notices, requiring them to install their own transformers due to increased electricity load.

In the Dilshukhnagar area, residents of a small apartment complex built 15 years ago are now being told to arrange for a transformer after their electricity load exceeded 20 kilowatts.

The building, which consists of 8 flats and was sold by the builder years ago, originally had 9 electricity connections, including one for common amenities like the lift. However, with increased consumption, electricity officials have informed the flat owners that they must now install a transformer, which could cost over Rs 3 lakh. This expense would fall on the owners of the 8 flats.

This issue isn’t isolated to just this building. Reports suggest that nearly 10,000 apartments and buildings in the GHMC area have exceeded the 20-kilowatt limit but have not yet installed dedicated transformers. DISCOM has begun issuing notices to these properties, and it is estimated that complying with this directive could collectively cost owners more than Rs 300 crore.

The residents are concerned about this financial strain, as the transformer installation costs are being imposed on them despite the buildings being fully constructed and sold years ago. The situation highlights the growing need for infrastructure upgrades in Hyderabad’s expanding urban landscape.