NILGIRIS: With the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (TNPDCL) facing a shortage of staff to record metre readings, residents in the Yellanalli section near Ooty have been directed to pay their electricity bills based on their previous month's consumption.
Sources said the Yellanalli section earlier had two assessors. However, one of them was promoted as Inspector of Assessment a few months ago, leaving the section understaffed. With only one assessor handling a large area, metre reading work has slowed down significantly, as the existing staff are unable to cope with the increased workload.
"As per norms, an assessor can cover about 80 service connections a day in the hilly terrain of the Nilgiris. But I could not cover areas like Oranalli, Kethi, Shanthur and Yellanalli, which together have around 4,672 connections," said an assessor, requesting anonymity. "Similar situations exist in nearby sections too, making it difficult for officials to deploy staff from elsewhere as they are also overburdened." he said
The problem is not limited to Yellanalli. In several parts of the district, consumers have been asked to pay based on Previous Month Consumption (PMC), exposing the wider shortage of assessors in TNPDCL.
A R Sivakumar, Executive Engineer, Udhagamandalam, and in-charge Superintendent Engineer of the Nilgiris Circle, acknowledged the vacancies and said steps are being taken to fill them at the earliest.
Sources said that only 16 assessors are currently working against a sanctioned strength of 105 in the Nilgiris circle.
Meanwhile, K Kathirmathiyon, Secretary of Coimbatore Consumer Cause, urged the Tamil Nadu government to intervene immediately, warning that the situation could lead to confusion among consumers.
"The government should appoint assessors at the earliest and reduce the burden on existing staff. Delays in such essential public services will affect consumers and bring a bad name to the department," he said. Sivakumar added that a proposal to fill the vacancies has already been sent to the government, but it has been pending for over six months.
