OPTCL Engineers seek Chief Minister’s urgent intervention on HR shortage, career stagnation, and governance lapses

Bhubaneswar (By Abhishek Mohanty): The engineers of Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Limited (OPTCL) sought the urgent intervention of Chief Mohan Charan Majhi regarding the long-standing institutional issues that are adversely affecting grid reliability, employee morale, and public interest. 

These concerns include acute human resource shortages, lack of transparency in administration, and performance-related challenges. Despite repeated representations, OPTCL authorities have failed to adequately address critical matters related to HR management, cadre restructuring, and good governance.

Currently, many grid substations are functioning with minimal manpower, and in some locations, only a single engineer is enforced to work. Such severe understaffing poses a serious risk to real-time operations, emergency response, and compliance with statutory safety regulations.

It has been highlighted that approximately 3,300 sanctioned posts in OPTCL remain vacant, the highest among state public sector corporations in Odisha.

Despite the existing staff maintaining continuous power supply through excessive workloads and prolonged overtime, the failure to fill these vacancies discourages young professionals from joining the power sector, threatening long-term sustainability.

Further, the cadre restructuring proposal, presented in the Board in September 2025 following assurances given before the Power Minister in July 2025, has been significantly diluted. The revised proposal falls short of earlier approvals and prevailing government norms. Due to four-year delay in cadre restructuring the promotions have stalled, young engineers face long-term career uncertainty, and organizational morale has suffered due to the absence of time-bound promotions or scale-based career progression, the engineers stated.

Deviations from established administrative and financial processes during project implementation have reportedly caused cost overruns and increased tariffs for consumers. Transparency in transfers, promotions, performance evaluation, and board-level decision-making has diminished, while audit and vigilance mechanisms have become largely ineffective, they added.

Recognizing OPTCL as a critical government enterprise for power transmission in Odisha, the engineers requested the Chief Minister’s timely intervention to restore impartiality, transparency, and organizational accountability. They urge corrective measures to safeguard employee welfare, ensure reliable power supply, and protect the public interest.