Chennai:
The Tamil Nadu Government should immediately withdraw its reported decision to outsource electricity consumption meter-reading work to private agencies, the CPI(M) Tamil Nadu State Committee has urged.
According to the party, reports indicate that the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board is planning to invite tenders to engage contract workers for electricity meter-reading activities for a period of six months, with the outsourced work expected to commence from October.
The CPI(M) alleged that the State Government was increasingly moving towards privatisation in various areas of the power sector, including power generation, transmission and distribution, and that the proposed outsourcing of meter-reading work was another step in the same direction.
The party said the Electricity Department had cited a shortage of personnel as the reason for engaging contract workers. However, it expressed concern that inadequate training could result in errors in meter readings, potentially leading to incorrect or excess electricity bills being issued to consumers.
The CPI(M) pointed out that no permanent appointments had reportedly been made for meter-reading work during the past 13 years. Of the 6,591 sanctioned posts, only 1,591 personnel are currently working, leaving around 5,000 vacancies, it said.
The party also referred to an announcement made by the Electricity Minister in the Assembly that 20,449 vacancies in the Electricity Department would be filled during the current year. Against this backdrop, resorting to contract-based appointments instead of filling permanent posts was not appropriate, the CPI(M) said.
The party further argued that continued reliance on contract employment could affect employment opportunities for educated unemployed youth and undermine reservation policies. It also described the increasing use of contract employment across government departments as contrary to the principles of social justice.
According to the CPI(M), transferring essential electricity-related responsibilities to private agencies would amount to the government shifting its responsibilities to the private sector.
The Tamil Nadu State Committee therefore urged the government to immediately abandon the proposal to outsource electricity meter-reading work, make permanent appointments for the posts and fill all existing vacancies in the Electricity Board without delay.
The statement was issued by P. Shanmugam, State Secretary, CPI(M), Tamil Nadu.