North Delhi Power Limited (NDPL), the discom responsible for electrifying the plots, maintains the cost of electrification has to be borne evenly by the DDA and the discom. The DDA, however, maintains it has already paid its share of the cost to the erstwhile Delhi Vidyut Board of the pre-privatisation era, and that private discoms are not honouring the “liabilities of DVB, although they have taken over its assets”.

The Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) is very clear about its regulation that the land owning agency will bear 50 per cent of the cost. “Land-owning agencies, whether it is the DDA or anyone else, have to be pay 50 per cent of the cost of electrification. The alternative is to pass the cost onto the consumers, which is not fair since they are anyway paying the land owning agency development charges, which include the cost of setting up infrastructure for electricity, water and sewage,” an official at the DERC said.