COIMBATORE: The Tamil Nadu Electricity Board Engineers' Sangam has raised serious concerns over prolonged administrative delays in the Material Management (MM) Wing of the Central Office in Nilgiris, severely affecting power supply and maintenance across the Nilgiris distribution circle.
The region poses significant operational challenges for power distribution. The hilly terrain requires field engineers to physically transport heavy materials in unpredictable, extreme weather conditions throughout the year. Maintaining an uninterrupted power supply in such environments is difficult, and the current situation is further complicated by a longstanding shortage of officers in the circle.
In a petition to the chief engineer, the association pointed out that the functioning of the MM Wing has deteriorated in recent months. Essential proposals, indents, and purchase orders are facing huge delays, affecting day-to-day fieldwork, emergency repairs, and preventive maintenance efforts.
"Among key issues, they highlighted the substation fire extinguisher proposals that have remained pending for a minimum of six months. Similarly, when an interrupter fails in a substation and feeders are temporarily reconfigured, replacement proposals take at least six months to process. Purchase orders for interrupters are frequently issued with errors. Vehicle-related documentation is another concern, with processing delayed by three to four months and action taken only after repeated complaints. Indents for materials are not processed promptly, resulting in uneven availability," said P Kamalkumar, regional secretary of the association.
Despite repeated representations to the Superintending Engineer (in-charge) of the Nilgiris Electricity Distribution Circle, no proper action was taken. The association warned that these ongoing delays in processing critical documents and materials are directly threatening the ability to maintain an uninterrupted power supply in the Nilgiris.
The union has urged immediate intervention by the chief engineer to streamline operations in the MM Wing.