CHENNAI: After TNEB cancelled its recruitment examination twice owing to the pandemic and Assembly election-2021, thousands of engineering graduates, ITI diploma holders, and other job seekers have been waiting for updates on openings in the company. It seems, however, the TNEB, as of now, has no plan to conduct any such exam.
The Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) had in January 2020 invited applications to fill 1,300 posts of assessor, 500 posts of Junior Assistant, and 600 posts of Assistant Engineer (AE-electrical/civil/mechanical). Subsequently, over two lakh job aspirants applied for the posts by paying Rs 1,200 each as exam fee. After the exam was postponed twice, however, they received no further update from the PSU.
“With no fresh notification coming from the PSU, we are missing out on job opportunities at TNEB,” said D Subhapriya (23), a Pazhavanthangal resident who had applied for AE (civil) post. She also wanted clarity on whether she would have to reapply for the post by paying the fee again, in the event a fresh notification is issued at last.
S Dineshkumar, a Coimbatore resident with an ITI diploma, told TNIE: “I was taken as an apprentice in TNEB for one year from July 2017. Now, I am 33 years old. Since the age limit to attend the competitive exam is 35, I have only two years left.”
On the other hand, consumers often face difficulties as TNEB is unable to provide services in time. Recently, a few commercial establishments on Ambattur Industrial Estate faced unexpected power cuts. Several hours of wait and complaints lodged through the new Minnagam (lightning) number accrued no result. It took 48 hours and a petition at the TNEB office concerned for the power to return to the units. P Nakeeran, owner of Pareto Technologies, told TNIE that the TNEB officials refused to undertake the work when the complaint was lodged, claiming they didn’t have the manpower to check the Underground cable connections.
A TANGEDCO official said they have obtained administrative approval for filling 50 per cent of the vacant posts of junior engineers by engaging retired officials or through outsourcing. The official, however, agreed this move might hurt job seekers. TANGEDCO Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Rajesh Lakhoni told TNIE: “At present, we have no plan to recruit freshers as the company is running in loss.”