CHENNAI: We The Leaders founder K Annamalai on Monday urged the state government to grant a one-time special age relaxation to candidates affected by delays in the recruitment of Assistant Electrical Engineers (AEE) in the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation (TNPDCL).
In a statement, Annamalai said the recruitment process had been delayed by administrative lapses, as the TNPDCL AEE examination, announced in 2020, was first postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and later cancelled in 2022.
Though the government subsequently announced that future recruitments would be conducted through the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC), no fresh notification was issued for nearly three years, he said.
He further said 195 TNPDCL vacancies were later filled through the Public Works Department (PWD) AEE recruitment process in 2024, leaving candidates who had been waiting for the TNPDCL recruitment at a disadvantage.
He also claimed several candidates who secured good marks in the subsequent TNPSC examination for AEE posts were disqualified for exceeding the upper age limit because of the prolonged delay.
Citing previous instances where the state had granted special age relaxation following cancelled recruitment examinations, Annamalai urged the government to extend similar relief to affected candidates.
He also sought a transparent inquiry into the actions of TNPDCL and TNPSC and called for safeguards to prevent the alteration of vacancies or recruitment rules after recruitment processes have commenced.