Bengaluru | September 6, 2026
The Greater Bengaluru Authority has imposed a combined penalty of Rs 3 lakh on a project consultant and contractor for installing electricity poles improperly at Palace Guttahalli Junction on Ballari Road, also known as the airport road, officials said.
The action followed an inspection ordered by Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda after he noticed the installation while travelling along Ballari Road on July 31. He directed officials to examine the work and ensure that the poles were installed according to the approved design and technical specifications.
Senior officials from Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Ltd, or B-SMILE, and the Greater Bengaluru Authority conducted a detailed inspection at the junction on September 3. The inspection found that the poles had been installed in an “unscientific manner” and in violation of prescribed design and technical specifications, officials said.
The GBA imposed a penalty of Rs 1 lakh on project consultant Siddhishakti Pvt Ltd and Rs 2 lakh on contractor JMC Constructions. The penalties were issued for lapses in quality control and failure to follow the technical standards specified for the work.
The authority has also directed the consultant and contractor to remove the improperly installed poles immediately. They have been instructed to reinstall the poles in accordance with the prescribed standards, according to officials.
The enforcement action places responsibility on both the agency overseeing the project and the contractor carrying out the installation. The GBA’s order follows the minister’s direction that the work be inspected and corrected rather than allowed to remain in its existing form.
The location, Palace Guttahalli Junction, is on Ballari Road, a major route connecting Bengaluru with the airport corridor. The report did not specify the number of poles affected, the cost of the corrective work or the deadline for completing the reinstallation.
The action also follows a recent inspection process involving the GBA and B-SMILE, the infrastructure agency whose senior officials participated in the September 3 review. Officials said the corrective work would have to conform to the approved design and technical specifications.
The GBA’s immediate next steps are the removal of the improperly installed poles and their reinstallation in compliance with the prescribed standards. The authority has not announced a separate completion date for the corrective work.
