Chennai, Sep 26 (IANS) The Communist Party of India (CPI) has urged the Tamil Nadu government to withdraw its reported plan to outsource electricity meter reading and billing assessment and demanded regular recruitment to fill vacancies.
In a statement, CPI state secretary M. Veerapandian said reports indicated that the electricity board had decided to engage a private contractor for the work for six months, beginning in October. He called on the government to reconsider the decision before it takes effect and clarify how billing accuracy will be maintained for all consumers.
The power department has described the move as a temporary response to a shortage of staff and a way to ensure that consumers receive accurate bills without delays.
Veerapandian said those concerns should be addressed by strengthening the department’s own workforce rather than handing the work to a private firm. He warned that outsourcing billing assessment could lead to irregularities and increase costs for consumers.
The statement did not explain how the contract would affect tariffs or specify the number of vacancies to be filled.
Veerapandian also questioned the use of staff shortages as a reason for contracting out the work when many people are seeking employment. He urged the government to identify vacant assessor and accounts-related posts in the electricity board and fill them permanently through recruitment.
Regular recruitment, he said, would offer unemployed applicants a route to stable public employment while allowing the utility to retain direct responsibility for reading meters and preparing bills. It would also give the department a longer-term answer to staffing gaps instead of relying on successive short contracts, he argued.
The CPI’s Tamil Nadu state executive committee asked the government to follow reservation rules and social justice principles in any recruitment drive. It said permanent appointments made through proper scrutiny would serve both job seekers and electricity consumers.
The statement comes amid reports that the utility intends to begin the contracted work in October.
Veerapandian asked the government to halt the process and announce steps to fill the vacancies. The party said it wanted billing services to remain under the direct control of the public electricity system and for staffing needs to be met through government appointments.
–IANS
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