Thirumavalavan Urges Tamil Nadu to Drop Meter-Reading Outsourcing Plan

VCK president Thol. Thirumavalavan on Monday called on the Tamil Nadu government to abandon its move to hand over electricity meter reading to private firms, arguing that the power utility's problems stem from unfilled posts rather than a lack of contractors.

In a statement, he noted that the state has roughly 3.52 crore electricity consumers and that grievances over power cuts, delayed meter reading and billing mistakes have been mounting. These issues, he said, are largely the result of a staff shortage.

Citing the department's White Paper, Mr. Thirumavalavan said 53,575 posts lie vacant. The government has announced plans to fill 20,449 of them, including 12,500 multi-purpose field assistants and 945 technical assistants.

He described the decision to outsource meter reading through a limited tender for six months starting in October as an attempt to privatise the power utility.

The VCK leader also pointed to a shortfall of substation operators, with about 1,800 posts unfilled. He said around 600 employees who have already cleared the internal recruitment process for technical assistant posts are still awaiting appointment, and urged the government to absorb them first against the 945 vacancies proposed to be filled this year, citing their experience within the department.