TIRUCHY: Surprise inspections by officers from the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) at the Tiruchy Regional TNPDCL office in Tennur last week resulted in seizure of around Rs 24 lakh in cash and digital transactions. Twelve TNPDCL officials including assistant executive engineers, assistant engineer, junior engineer assistant account inspector, revenue supervisor, office assistants were booked.
The searches conducted on August 27 led to the seizure of Rs 1.07 lakh unaccounted cash. Officials also uncovered UPI transactions worth Rs 13.58 lakh. Further suspicious transactions of around Rs 9 lakh identified in bank accounts and other digital trails are under scrutiny, taking the total suspected illegal transactions to around Rs 24 lakh.
The case was registered on August 28 under sections 7 of the prevention of the corruption Act, 1988, based on the complaint from the senior revenue inspector T Suresh from the district inspection cell, Tiruchy.
Sources said the bribe collection was linked to services such as obtaining temporary electricity connections, converting temporary connections into permanent ones after completion of construction, increasing load capacity, and changing power phases.Consumers were often told that delays were inevitable unless additional payments were made to expedite the process.
In cases involving construction-related temporary connections, officials allegedly demanded payments based on the scale of the project, with bribe allegedly going up to Rs 1 lakh. Consumers were also told that additional costs were required for installing new poles or extending lines in areas without nearby infrastructure-charges that, while partly legitimate, were allegedly inflated and diverted as illegal gratification.
The investigation has now expanded beyond the cash seized during the raid, with officials examining bank accounts linked to the accused. Transactions involving assistant engineers are among those under detailed scrutiny. Officials said the probe will determine whether the transactions point to a coordinated network or isolated instances of corruption, involving personnel from foremen to assistant engineers.
K Chandrasekar, president of the Anti-Corruption Movement, Tiruchy district, said the electricity department remains vulnerable to bribery as officials deal with the public on a daily basis. “Corruption is most prevalent during new connections at the official level and during repair works at the lower staff level. While there has been some reduction, it still persists, especially at the lower levels where staff interact directly with the public. The government must strengthen punishment to effectively curb such practices.
Though officials are being booked, cases often take years to conclude, and there is a need to fast-track them. Corruption may have come down at the minister level, but it continues to be visible at the lower levels,” he said.
The crackdown has also triggered heightened vigilance across TNPDCL offices in the city. Sources said some staff have sought transfers to rural areas. However, a senior TNPDCL official maintained that transfers are carried out only in January and July through transparent online counselling process.
A senior DVAC official said increased checks in recent months have already had an impact. “With tighter monitoring under the present government, instances of bribe collection have come down. At the same time, there is a need for adequate staff to handle growing service demands,” the official said.