BESCOM and BWSSB Charges for a New Flat in Bangalore (2026)

This guide lists the official BWSSB and BESCOM charges with their published rates, shows the arithmetic for one flat, explains what the developer pays at building level, and gives you the exact questions to put to the builder.

Why do builders charge for BESCOM and BWSSB at all?

Before you take possession, the developer applies for the building's electricity and water connections and pays the deposits, connection fees and infrastructure costs. Those costs are recovered from buyers. The RERA Act anticipates this: Section 19(6) says the buyer pays water and electricity charges as set out in the agreement, and Section 11(4)(g) says the promoter must pay outgoings, including water and electricity charges collected from buyers, until physical possession is handed over.

The trouble is that the line on most cost sheets is a single lump sum or a per-sq-ft rate, with no indication of what is an official fee and what is the developer's own cost. A charge is not wrong just because it is large, provided it is in the agreement, but you should know what you are paying for.

What does BWSSB charge for a new apartment connection?

Citizen Matters set out BWSSB's connection charges on 31 March 2025, based on the board's published rates. The main items for apartments:

• Application fee: ₹100 per connection.
• Pro-rata charge (one-time, non-refundable): ₹400 per sq m of built-up area for apartments, group housing and villas; ₹600 per sq m for commercial buildings. High-rise buildings pay it regardless of site area.
• Connection charge: ₹25 for 15 mm and 20 mm pipes, ₹50 for 25 mm to 80 mm, ₹100 for 100 mm and above.
• Inspection charge: ₹1,000 for apartments up to 50 units, ₹2,000 for 50 to 100 units, with ₹1,000 more per extra 100 units above 200.
• Three months minimum deposit: ₹315 for a 15 mm domestic connection, rising to ₹35,300 for 50 mm.
• Meter: ₹965 for a half-inch mechanical meter, ₹2,250 for three-quarter inch; bulk AMR meters for buildings cost far more (₹50,400 for 25 mm, ₹84,000 for a 50 mm electromagnetic meter).
• Sewage connection: ₹600 for up to five sanitary points, ₹120 per extra point (figures from BWSSB engineers, as reported).
• GBWASP charge in the former City Municipal Council areas and Kengeri (Bommanahalli, Byatarayanapura, Dasarahalli, KR Puram, Mahadevapura, RR Nagar, Yelahanka): ₹4,000 to ₹24,000 per flat by built-up area.
• Beneficiary Contribution Charge in the 110 villages added to the city: ₹5,000 per flat up to 600 sq ft, ₹10,000 for 600 to 1,200 sq ft, ₹20,000 for 1,200 to 2,400 sq ft, ₹30,000 above that.

What does BESCOM charge for a new connection?

BESCOM collects a deposit called 2MMD, two months' estimated bills, when it releases a connection. Its ready reckoner, effective from April 2024, lists these amounts for LT-1 domestic connections in areas under the city corporation and urban local bodies:

• 1 kW: ₹770.
• 2 kW: ₹1,540.
• 3 kW: ₹2,310.
• 4 kW: ₹3,080.
• 5 kW: ₹3,860.
• HT residential apartments on a single high-tension supply: ₹2,030 per kVA of sanctioned demand.

What the developer pays at building level

A large apartment project needs its own transformers, cabling and switchgear. In Karnataka, developers commonly do this work themselves on a 'self-execution' basis under BESCOM supervision and pay BESCOM a supervision charge. In a 2026 Karnataka High Court case involving a multi-storey residential project in east Bengaluru with a sanctioned load of 8,459 kW, the sanction set supervision charges at 10% of the estimated cost of the electrical works, capped at ₹15 lakh. The court held that KPTCL could not revise those charges on its own without KERC approval.

Building-level works of this kind, spread over hundreds of flats, can be the largest part of the 'BESCOM and BWSSB' line. This is a legitimate cost, but it is the developer's capital cost, not an official deposit, and it is reasonable to ask for it to be shown separately.

Worked example: official charges for one 1,150 sq ft flat

Assumptions: a 1,150 sq ft built-up flat in one of the 110 added villages, a 5 kW domestic BESCOM connection, an individual half-inch water meter and a 15 mm domestic water deposit. Shared items such as the inspection fee and bulk meter are left out.

• Built-up area in sq m: 1,150 / 10.764 = 106.84 sq m.
• BWSSB pro-rata: 106.84 x ₹400 = ₹42,736.
• BWSSB Beneficiary Contribution Charge (600 to 1,200 sq ft flat): ₹10,000.
• Water meter: ₹965. Three months minimum deposit: ₹315.
• BESCOM 2MMD deposit for 5 kW: ₹3,860.
• Total official per-flat items: about ₹57,876.
• If the flat were in a GBWASP area instead, swap the ₹10,000 for ₹8,000 (600 to 1,200 sq ft band). If it were in the core city with neither charge, the total drops to about ₹47,876.

What is a reasonable BESCOM and BWSSB charge?

There is no official figure for what a builder may charge, because the line mixes official fees with private infrastructure cost. A sensible test is this: the official per-flat items should be visible and should roughly match the arithmetic above for your flat's built-up area and location. The balance should be explained as transformer, cabling, sumps, pumps, sewage treatment or similar works. A charge that is far above the official items with no explanation is the one to question.

The deposits (BESCOM 2MMD, BWSSB three-month deposit) are refundable to the consumer when the connection is surrendered, and BESCOM revises its deposit each year based on actual bills, as Citizen Matters has explained. Ask the builder to confirm that the connections and deposits will be transferred into your name, or into the association's name for common meters.

How to ask the builder for a breakdown

• Ask for the BESCOM and BWSSB line split into: BWSSB pro-rata, GBWASP or BCC, connection and inspection fees, meters, deposits, BESCOM deposits, and infrastructure works.
• Ask whether your flat has an individual BESCOM meter (LT connection) or the building takes a single HT supply with sub-meters run by the association. The deposit and billing are different.
• Ask for copies of BWSSB and BESCOM receipts or demand notes once paid.
• Check that the amount and the basis (lump sum or per sq ft) appear in the agreement for sale, not only on a booking-stage cost sheet.
• Confirm that Cauvery water is actually sanctioned for the building. A pro-rata payment does not by itself mean supply has reached your road.
• After possession, transfer the connections into your name. Most transfers now need the e-khata first; see A-Khata, B-Khata and e-Khata in Bengaluru (2026): What a Buyer Must Check Now.
• Treat the occupancy certificate as a precondition for permanent connections; our guide is at Occupancy Certificate vs Completion Certificate in Bengaluru: What to Demand Before You Take Possession.

Where this fits in the full cost of a flat

Utility charges are one line of a longer cost sheet that also includes parking, club, corpus, advance maintenance, GST, stamp duty and registration. For the national view of these extras see The Hidden Costs of Buying a Home in India, and run the checks in The 9-Point RERA Checklist Every Buyer Should Run before you pay a booking amount.

If you are shortlisting in the added villages on the city's edge, where the BCC applies, compare projects such as Casagrand Lorenza Yelahanka or browse Yelahanka, Bangalore, and ask each builder for the same utility breakdown.