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Lack of junior engineers in UP sub stations affects power supply
Over 60 substations of the 140 in Lucknow don’t have a full-time junior engineer, which means that around 50 junior engineers are overseeing more than two substations each
Lucknow’s electricity supply is hit due to a shortage of staff and technical manpower at nearly half of the power substations in Uttar Pradesh’s capital. The response time to attend any complaint lodged by a consumer is longer than usual because some of these power substations don’t even have a full-time junior engineer (JE). At many substations, contractors are running the show, according to officials of the Lucknow Electricity Supply Administration (LESA).
They said that over 60 substations of the 140 in Lucknow don’t have a full-time junior engineer, which means that around 50 junior engineers are overseeing more than two substations each.
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“There are only 79 junior engineers working in various substations of LESA,” said an office-bearer of Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited JE Association. “JEs are soft targets for everyone but they are supposed to work 24X7. They are supposed to attend to every fault in the lines, inside the power substation, ensure proper collection of bills etc. Can you imagine there are some junior engineers who are looking after supply of more than three sub stations? Despite that, JEs are suspended for every little thing that goes wrong,” the office-bearer added.
Meanwhile, chief engineer (Cis Gomti zone) Madhukar Verma said, “We are aware of this problem and officials are trying to fill the vacant posts . I have also written to the officials concerned about the need for junior engineers in the department for better power supply.”
“All our engineers are working overtime to ensure uninterrupted power supply in the city. They are the ones who are always under stress. If there is a power failure, a JE has to give an explanation,” Verma added.
However, Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Upbhokta Parishad chairman Avadhesh Varma said, “According to the data available, there is shortage of more than 1,050 junior engineers and other technical manpower in Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited. We have written a number of times for the appointment of junior engineers in the past.”
