CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation (TNPDCL) will engage manpower of a third party through contracts to read meters and overcome the erratic assessment of power consumption — which leads to wrong and inflated power bills — and to address the shortage of assessors. Outsourcing of the task will come into effect in October.There are around 3.5 crore low-tension services in Tamil Nadu, including 2.5 crore domestic consumers. The sanctioned strength of assessors is 7,565 to record power consumption once in two months and generate invoices. However, there are only 3,063 assessors, while 4,502 posts, nearly 60%, remain vacant.While retired TNEB personnel were so far engaged to assess electricity consumptions at doorsteps, TNPDCL has decided to outsource it to meet the shortage and to ensure prompt, accurate and timely meter readings.TNPDCL executive engineers can float limited tenders for a period of six months for the additional required manpower and the same will be vetted by the superintendent engineers concerned. The manpower thus engaged should have completed at least a degree or a diploma course and each personnel should cover at least 250 services every day in Chennai corporation region, and 220 services in other municipal corporations.“The meter reading shall be carried out by the contractor through the mobile application using an optical probe or a Bluetooth transmitter. The contract meter readers shall ensure that the actual meter reading is recorded on the consumer premises, correct service connection is selected in the application and assessment is completed within the prescribed billing cycle,” said a circular issued to all field engineers from TNPDCL headquarters.The retired staffers, who have been engaged for an honorarium of Rs 5 per assessment, will be relieved if their performance is not satisfactory and regular assessors’ workload will also be reviewed.Consumer activist T Sadagopan has welcomed the move and said it will curtail the practice of table reading. “If the contract workers assess meters without delay, consumption will not jump to high slabs and prevent inflated bills. The contract workers should be duly monitored by TNPDCL,” he said.Meanwhile, TNPDCL assessors’ association president Kannan said the decision to outsource meter reading would do more harm than good. “The contract workers will not have any responsibility and may indulge in table reading without visiting the consumer premises or under-assess consumption to favour some consumers. The officials have not even consulted the unions by issuing notice as per procedure and issued circular to all field officers. We oppose this privatisation move,” he said.
