Women engineers now head nine of the 12 regional units of Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (TNPDCL), marking a significant shift in leadership across the state’s electricity distribution network.
The women chief engineers oversee regions responsible for maintaining power supply, handling service connections and consumer complaints, acquiring land for substations, managing rooftop solar installations, procuring materials and addressing staff grievances. The three regions that do not currently have women at the helm are Kancheepuram, Vellore and Tiruvannamalai.
The nine regional heads are C V Latha in Chennai north, T Sumathi in Coimbatore, G Dharini in Erode, P Padmavathy in Madurai, P Latha in Tirunelveli, K Rojaramani in Trichy, V Athilakshmi in Villupuram, M Kalaiselvi in Karur and P Lathamaheswari in Thanjavur.
Their roles cover both technical operations and public-facing administration. Regional chief engineers are responsible for maintaining distribution services while responding to power-related complaints, overseeing new connections, supporting substation expansion and managing the operational demands created by changing electricity use.
“It is a privilege to head a region. We have faced and overcome challenges since our days as assistant engineers. Support extended by our male colleagues has been noteworthy,” T Sumathi, chief engineer of the Coimbatore region, said.
Sumathi joined the state electricity board in 1989 after graduating in electrical and electronics engineering from Thiagarajar College of Engineering in Madurai. She was part of a batch of 29 students who entered the state electricity system soon after completing their graduation. Six of the nine women currently heading TNPDCL regions are from the same institution and batch.
Their careers have coincided with the expansion and increasing complexity of Tamil Nadu’s electricity network. In addition to conventional distribution responsibilities, the system now has to accommodate the growth of rooftop solar installations and rising consumer expectations around service delivery.
The increase in women’s representation extends beyond the regional leadership positions. Women directors currently head the technical and financial wings of Tamil Nadu Green Energy Corporation Limited, the financial and distribution wings of TNPDCL, and the operations and financial wings of Tamil Nadu Transmission Corporation Limited, according to the report.
L Leena, director of distribution at TNPDCL, said the development reflected the commitment of women engineers working across the electricity system. “We are doing our best, making personal sacrifices and shouldering responsibilities to ensure power distribution,” she said.
The shift has also been recognised by the engineering community. X Anita Celine, secretary for coordination of the TNEB Engineers’ Association, said the women regional heads represented the collective progress of women engineers who had entered senior roles through sustained work and professional experience.
The regional leadership structure will continue to determine how TNPDCL manages distribution operations, consumer services, substation-related land requirements and the integration of rooftop solar across Tamil Nadu.
