Temporary electricity connection for weddings, events and Ganesha pandals in Karnataka

What counts as temporary supply

Temporary supply is metered power given for a limited period: building construction, weddings and functions, exhibitions, fairs, film shoots, touring cinemas, festival pandals and processions. It is billed under the LT-7 temporary tariff, or HT-5 for large HT loads.

This post covers the rules and events. For power to build a house, including the site distribution board, see temporary connection for construction.

The LT-7 tariff and the prepaid meter

KERC's tariff order of 27 March 2025, which sets rates for FY2025-26 to FY2027-28, fixes LT-7 temporary supply at 1050 paise (₹10.50) per unit and a fixed charge of ₹200 per kW per month for loads below 67 HP, unchanged across the three years. That is nearly double the ₹5.80 domestic energy charge. Tax is added on top.

The tariff schedule says temporary supply is to be given through a pre-paid energy meter, under clause 12 of KERC's conditions of supply, and KERC's smart meter guidelines made smart meters mandatory for temporary connections. BESCOM applied this to urban areas from February 2025 and rural areas from July 2025. In practice that means you buy or rent the meter as the ESCOM directs, recharge it, and supply stops when the balance runs out. Keep an eye on the balance on the night before a wedding.

Add the fixed charge, tax, meter and service charges. Ask the section office how a part month is billed for the fixed charge, because that varies with the billing setup.

You may not need a separate connection at all

The tariff's general conditions allow you to use power for temporary illumination at a premises that already has permanent supply, for weddings, exhibitions in hotels, sales promotions and the like, at your normal tariff as long as you stay within the sanctioned load. Temporary rates apply only if you go above the sanctioned load.

So for a house-warming or a small function at home, lights and a sound system on your own meter are fine. A marriage hall or hotel uses its own commercial supply. For a big function in an open plot, or a load above your sanctioned load, apply for a temporary connection, or hire a generator and keep it fully separate from the ESCOM supply.

The application rules for events

Clause 12 of KERC's conditions of supply sets the basic procedure. Some of the money rules have been changed by later amendments and by prepaid metering, so treat the figures as a guide and confirm at the counter:

• Apply in the prescribed form at the section or subdivision office. Historically no registration fee was charged for temporary supply, only a small service charge.
• Before prepaid meters, an advance was collected for estimated use, worked out at 12 units per kW per day for the period. With a prepaid meter, your recharge does this job.
• The contractor's wiring diagram and completion-cum-test report, the agreement and any permits are needed before the work order is issued.
• No permit or NOC is needed for marriages and domestic functions, floor polishing or water pumping. For public events, a licence or NOC from the local body or police is needed.
• Approval from the Electrical Inspectorate is required for temporary installations where 100 or more people are likely to gather in one place.
• A current limiter and an earth leakage breaker (ELCB/RCCB) of adequate rating must be provided by you.
• The start date can be changed once, before it begins, to a date within 15 days of the original.

Ganesha pandals and festival processions

Before Ganeshotsava, ESCOMs issue festival guidelines, usually together with the local body and police. BESCOM's guidelines for the 2026 festival, as reported in September 2026, said:

• Even for connections of less than 30 days, BESCOM required a regular meter and the consumption recorded in its system. No flat-rate "hooking".
• Field staff were told to inspect immersion procession routes and fix loose or low lines. Tall idols on trucks and flagpoles near overhead lines are the biggest risk. See our HT line clearance guide.
• Organisers are typically asked for an undertaking that they are responsible for the temporary installation.

MESCOM, CESC, HESCOM and GESCOM issue their own festival circulars along the same lines. Ask your section office two weeks before the festival, because the inspection queue is long in the last three days.

Wiring a function site safely

Event wiring is put up in a day by people in a hurry, often by the decorator's helper rather than an electrician. These are the faults we see most often at weddings, fairs and pandals:

• No proper earth. A rod driven 30 cm into dry soil, or no earth at all. Drive a proper earth electrode near the board, water it, and connect every metal stand, truss and LED wall frame to it.
• Joints on the ground. Taped joints lying in grass or under carpets get wet at night. Use industrial plugs and sockets, or junction boxes raised on stands.
• Thin flexible wire for heavy loads. Kitchen burners, hot cases and air coolers on 1 sq mm wire overheat. Size the cable for the load, and keep the cooking load on its own MCB.
• Lighting on bamboo and metal poles near overhead lines. Keep the pandal roof, serial lights and flagpoles well clear of LT and HT lines, including when they sway in the wind.
• A generator tied into the same board. If you use a hired DG as backup, the changeover must make it impossible for the generator to feed the ESCOM line. A lineman working on the pole can be killed by back-feed.
• Children and decorations. Keep the board locked and out of reach, and switch off serial lights on railings when there is a crowd.

A 30 mA RCCB on the socket and lighting circuits trips before a leakage current can kill. It is the single cheapest life-saver at an event. See MCB, RCCB, RCBO and ELCB explained.

If something goes wrong on the day

• Supply stops suddenly. Check the prepaid balance first, then the RCCB and MCBs on your board. If the meter is dark and your board is fine, register a complaint on 1912 with the account number; see where to complain.
• The RCCB keeps tripping. Something is leaking, often a wet joint or a light fitting in the rain. Switch circuits on one by one to find it. Do not bypass the RCCB with a crowd present.
• Rain during the event. Switch off serial lights and outdoor circuits that are getting wet, and keep people away from the board. See our monsoon safety guide.
• Someone gets a shock. Switch off first, then help. Call 108. If the cause was an ESCOM line, the family can claim under the KERC rules; see electrical accident compensation.
• Backup generator. Only through a proper changeover switch; see DG set rules.

How long, renewal, and closing the account

• Maximum period: officers can sanction and renew temporary supply up to two years from the date of service. Beyond that you need a fresh sanction.
• Renewal: apply at least one week before expiry and clear all dues up to date.
• Closing: ask for disconnection and a final reading the day the event ends. Under the conditions of supply, any balance of the advance is refunded within two months of a valid refund claim, or adjusted to your permanent account. Late refunds carry interest at 1% per month.
• If you never used it: the advance is refunded after a small deduction.
• Converting to permanent: a temporary connection for an event cannot become permanent. For a building, you apply afresh for permanent supply. See permanent connection for a new house.

Questions

Sources

Rules and figures in this article were checked against these sources on 30 Sep 2026. Schemes and tariffs change, so confirm with the official office before you act.

• KERC Tariff Order 2025, tariff schedule (LT-7, general conditions), HRECS copy
• KERC Conditions of Supply of Electricity, clause 12 (GESCOM copy)
• Deccan Herald: Power NOC to Ganesha pandals only if venue is fully safe: Bescom
• Urban Acres: BESCOM safety guidelines for Ganeshotsava
• Deccan Herald: Single window clearance for Ganesh Chaturthi in Bengaluru
• Deccan Herald: Smart meters must for new, temporary connections in rural areas under Bescom
• Daily Jagran: Karnataka HC restrains BESCOM from mandating smart meters

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