What Bescom Linemen get Paid

Yesterday when I browsed the Bescom website, they had a list of file names on their RTI link, but after i open each and every link and download file, I get to know that, no details are made public yet. They regret to inform that, no library is established yet. Pasting the same as is:

THE PARTICULARS OF FACILITIES AVAILABLE TO CITIZENS FOR OBTAINING INFORMATION, INCLUDING THE WORKING HOURS OF A LIBRARY OR READING ROOM, IF MAINTAINED FOR PUBLIC USE;

All the related Manuals, Regulations and other Books are available in the website. At present, there is no library or reading room maintained in BESCOM for the use of general public. Now, it is being proposed to start a library at the Corporate Office. This will go a long way in providing required information to the consumers at large to know more about the power sector in general and the activities of BESCOM in particular. The consumers visiting this office can go through the various information pertaining to the company as well as electricity sector.

 So I search the Internet even harder and, where do I get the pay details from? Their own advertisements, calling people to apply for Assistant Linemen.
http://www.freejobalert.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/English-Notification-BESCOM-Assistant-Lineman-Posts1.pdf
 It was posted in October 2014. I get to see, that they have posts solely for Bescom, Karnataka few for Bescom Hyderabad-Karnataka region.
Then I go about checking the pay scale offered. I get this string of characters.
"7950-150-8100-190-9050-240-10250-300-11750-360-16790."
Could not make a head or tail of it right. Neither could I. I could only understand that beginner basic pay for Assistant Linemen was Rs. 7950. So I get searching and I hit upon a perfect website salarystructure.in. They give very detailed explanation in their article How to read and understand pay scale.
So, here goes the explanation, beginning with Basic pay of 7950 with an yearly increment of 150. So, next year, basic becomes 8100 to which the increment given is 190 each year. But amount 9050 is reached only after 5 years. So lineman has to work for 5 years with his salary incrementing in steps of Rs. 190/- after which, basic becomes 9050. After this year, the lineman is given increment of 240. Lineman is paid this same increment amount for 5 more years, after which the basic becomes Rs. 10250.
So in order to reach the Rs. 16790 basic pay, lineman should have served 35(1+5+5+5+5+14) long years to the Bescom.
Personally, I do not think they live that long.

Now coming to the pay scale an AE or Assistant Engineer(Electricals) gets. I got this from their notification seeking application for Assistant engineers in Electrical and Civil and Junior engineer for Civil. This was dated September 19th 2014.
http://www.freejobalert.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Notification-BESCOM-JE-Asst-Engineer-Other-Posts.pdf
The pay scale given is
18380-510-18990-570-20600-620-23080-700-25180-760-28220-850-30770-920-32610
Now, the pay scale offered is much higher than the linemen. Basic pay offered is more than ten times for AE,  while increments are higher five times, when compared to Assistant Lineman.

I just hope allowances and covers provided to the Linemen make up to the discrepancy. I will study the allowances part and write a post tomorrow. Its too big to write in one post.

I wonder, What if everybody gets educated well and becomes an AE, where will we get people to do the important work of restoring power to houses. I really wonder!!!

Kudos to Bescom Linemen Again

I am glad to inform all who were following this post, that problem that persisted with electricity outage was resolved completely. This time again, all the higher officials could not understand why I was making a fuss, when electricity was restored in the morning itself. I had to keep explaining them it was only temporary, this problem was not completely resolved to which the AEE asks me, what is temporary and what is permanent solution. I said your linemen took pity on us, and did a patch up repair job so that my water supply is not hit. I could not use my electric water filter nor could I fill my overhead tanks because power supply got disrupted yesterday evening itself.
The linemen came and so did the rain, they had a very broken patched up wooden ladder to support their climb. I was stunned they called it safety ladder. Unfortunately I could not click its picture. They waited for rain to subside, but to no avail, finally they traced the problem was due to line clubbing and said they will need 10mm lead wires measuring 2m to finish the job. I asked them to get it and finish the job once and for all.
Finally they completed this dangerous task by climbing the fragile wooden ladder, adeptly multitasking with ease. Linemen requested that I do not click their pictures. They did not do anything less than a circus feat. He climbed the pole like an athlete pole climber and attended wires with single hand(thank god they get to request power off during such repairs), holding the poles with other hand and two feet. God I was praying that this job finishes without casualties.
How many times have you seen linemen ignore all lurking dangers and climb with so much agility for few bucks. I will always pray for linemen and keep posting articles daily on my blog. Will surely want BESCOm to take note of their plight. I would not be comfortable if I get to learn that a lineman died fixing my line, so that I could use my cooler.
Humanity survives and saves you, only if you save and let it survive.