TN to fill power staff vacancies, expand response teams: Minister

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Madurai: Tamil Nadu electricity minister C T R Nirmal Kumar on Wednesday said vacancy assessment and recruitment exercises would begin after the budget, while continuous monitoring and fault rectification works had reduced power outages across Tamil Nadu over the last two days.

“Against the requirement of 1.4 lakh employees, only 70,000 staff are currently working,” Nirmal Kumar said. “We are identifying places that need immediate appointments first. Pending recruitment processes already initiated have been asked to be completed immediately,” he said. He added that urgent repairs and manpower deployment were being handled on a war-footing basis.

The minister said seven mobile monitoring teams had been formed to attend outages and more teams would be added soon. He said consumers would receive updates through call centres and social media on outages, reasons for faults and restoration works.

“Some outdated outage information is being circulated even after supply has been restored,” he said, referring to an incident in Kallakurichi where electricity supply had already been restored before outage reports continued circulating online.

Responding to criticism from BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran over power cuts, Nirmal Kumar said BJP leaders “do not know what is happening in Tamil Nadu” and criticism without citing specific locations did not require a response. Replying to comments by Tamilisai Soundararajan on the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister M K Stalin, he said it was “purely an official meeting” to discuss Tamil Nadu’s requirements and financial support.

On the feud within AIADMK, the minister said it was an internal party matter and alleged that accusations over attempts by AIADMK leaders to align with the DMK had triggered unrest within the party.

On the Mekedatu issue, Nirmal Kumar said Tamil Nadu was taking legal steps to oppose the proposed dam project. The minister was in Madurai to distribute ₹4 lakh compensation each to families of three people killed in a lightning strike and to meet an injured woman undergoing treatment at the government hospital.Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Bakrid wishes, messages and eid 2026