Initiating the proposal to outsource the reading of domestic electricity meters as a temporary arrangement, the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation limited (TNPDCL) held a meeting on Tuesday to finalise the tender procedures for engaging manpower agencies and operational arrangements for deploying private assessors.
The meeting was attended by senior officials of the Finance Department and the Distribution Director.
The discussion revolved around clarifications on tender notices to be issued by Executive Engineers (EE), determining the manpower required for each division, the reallocation of staff to guide outsourcing contractors for meter reading, the training mechanism for agency staff, the compliance of safety protocol, and finalisation of firms and agencies suitable for participation in the tenders, TNPDCL officials said.
Based on the discussion, TNPDCL officials have drawn up a broad framework for employing private contractors for meter reading. The EEs nominated to appoint the outsourcing agencies will assess the requirement for outsourced staff and determine the minimum manpower to be notified in the tender documents, an official said.
The EEs must assess the manpower requirement at the divisional level, rather than for individual section offices. As part of the process, they must identify manpower service providers, including those without prior experience, who may be invited to participate in the tender process to ensure adequate competition.
To ensure transparency and avoid confusion among the bidders, the EEs will hold a pre-bid meeting before finalising the award of the contract, to clarify the scope of work and tender conditions.
The TNPDCL has notified a hierarchy of officials to train the assessors on the various types of meters installed, meter-reading procedures, and the use of the mobile application to upload the assessed readings. The training will be provided by assessment officers, inspector of assessment, revenue supervisors, and assistant EEs.
The officials should also check the assessments carried out by the outsourced meter readers through the manual-entry option in the mobile application within a week of the assessment. The EEs must procure the necessary Bluetooth transmitters or optical probes for meter-reading operations and training private meter assessors, officials said.
Consumer activist T. Sadagopan, while welcoming the move, called for rigorous security checks and proper training for the personnel in meter reading and in interacting with consumers.
A senior TNPDCL official said the tenders for procuring smart meters would soon be called, as the final scrutiny of documents was under way after the Board’s approval last week.
Published – October 02, 2026 12:49 am IST
