Staff shortage in Chennai Corporation’s electrical wing may hamper monsoon preparedness
The understaffing has placed additional pressure on existing Assistant Engineers (AEs) and Junior Engineers (JEs), adversely impacting infrastructure maintenance and service delivery.
Greater Chennai Corporation (Photo: Hemanathan M)
CHENNAI: With the northeast monsoon expected to set in within a few days, the shortage of staff in the Greater Chennai Corporation’s (GCC) electrical department, responsible for operating motors and maintaining street lights, is likely to affect civic services during the rainy season.
The understaffing has placed additional pressure on existing Assistant Engineers (AEs) and Junior Engineers (JEs), adversely impacting infrastructure maintenance and service delivery.
A senior GCC official told DT Next that motor pumps and sumps were earlier managed by a separate department, but the responsibility was later shifted to the electrical department, which is already functioning with inadequate manpower. To address the issue, the GCC recently passed a resolution in the council meeting to hire professional staff to operate the pumps and sumps for 120 days from October 1.
However, contractors are unable to find sufficient manpower for the work. Of the 23 sanctioned posts of Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) (Electrical), 12 have remained vacant since 2022.
“In 7 out of 15 zones, Tiruvottiyur, Madhavaram, Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, Kodambakkam, Alandur, Perungudi and Sholinganallur, and also in two Regional Deputy Commissioners’ offices (Central and South), the electrical storeroom in Chintadripet, technical department, and Ripon Building, the work is being overseen by AEs or JEs in charge, instead of regular AEEs,” the official said. “The JEs and AEs holding additional charge do not have signing authority for procurement of machinery. For instance, the JE in Vepery is also managing the Ripon Building, which is not feasible for a single person.”
Infrastructure and maintenance projects have reportedly slowed down. The city has about 3 lakh LED street lights, of which 1.47 lakh are out of warranty after seven years and remain either dim or unrepaired, affecting public safety at night.
“For the past six months, none of the old or dim LED lights in the zones have been replaced with new ones. Complaints from the public have also increased across all 15 zones. On average, over 320 complaints are recorded daily, with the highest number reported from Thiru Vi Ka Nagar zone,” the official pointed out.
