The High Court has barred the disconnection of electricity, gas and water supplies to buildings under construction in Dhaka for six months, issuing an interim injunction against the authorities concerned.
According to the court order, the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA), Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK), and the Power Division are barred from disconnecting any utility services during this period.
The order was passed recently by a High Court bench of Justice Sikder Mahmudur Razi and Justice Raziuddin Ahmed following a writ petition filed by the Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh.
The court said it considered the potential financial losses and humanitarian implications highlighted in the petition, particularly the impact on families living in partially completed buildings who depend on electricity and water for daily life.
Alongside the six-month bar on utility disconnections, the court also directed the authorities to maintain the status quo until the disposal of the writ petition.
According to the petition, more than 1,200 electricity meters at construction sites had been disconnected in recent months by RAJUK with assistance from distribution companies, including Dhaka Electric Supply Company and Dhaka Power Distribution Company.
REHAB told the court that the disconnections brought many construction projects to a halt, leaving labourers and related workers without jobs.
The association also said the move disrupted flat handovers, caused significant financial losses for developers and complicated bank loan repayments, contractual obligations with clients and overall investment flow in the housing sector.
The court’s intervention is expected to provide temporary relief to building owners and developers while the matter remains under judicial consideration.
