assessor shortage
The sanctioned strength of assessors to cover 3.5 crore services are 7,565. However, there are only 3,063 assessors, while 4,502 posts, nearly 60%, remain vacant. A month has passed since instructions to outsource the billing, but only a few electricity distribution circles in Coimbatore, Vellore, and a few other districts have already floated open tenders to engage third-party assessors, the circles in Chennai and Kancheepuram, which comprise more than 60 lakh services, have been unsuccessful in awarding contracts to private manpower agencies.
“High power bills due to wrong assessment would cause mental agony to consumers with no proper redressal mechanism in place.
What TNPDCL intended is a good move, but it did not reflect on the field,” he said. A few executive engineers TOI spoke to said they have not been able to finalise the bids yet. Negotiations are still on,” said an executive engineer on condition of anonymity. Lack of availability of qualified manpower is also said to be the reason for the delay in outsourcing of electricity consumption assessment. Meanwhile, S Kannan, state president of the Central Organisation of Tamil Nadu Electricity Employees (COTEE), said that they have decided to approach Madras high court to seek stay on TNPDCL’s move to privatise meter assessment. Also, the discom intends to increase the workload of third-party assessors and there will not be any takers,” he said.
TNPDCL issued a circular in Sept directing field officers to engage third-party agencies to assess electricity consumption at doorsteps, to address the shortage of assessors, and provided a detailed how-to, including training the personnel supplied by the selected manpower agencies. T Sadagopan, consumer activist from Pattabiram, urged TNPDCL to look into the matter since it involves welfare of both consumers as well as the discom. It would also bring negative image on the discom and state govt. “The bidders quote high price which the discom will not be able to spend. “It is a breach of labour agreement.