E-Paper
Dhakoli’s sub-post office building cries for attention
Employees’ safety assumed more prominence after the last week’s building collapse in Meera Milli Mohalla of Dera Bassi, where four lives were lost.
The sub-post office in Dhakoli is housed in a dilapidated building, which demands urgent attention and maintenance as it tends to pose threat to the safety of at least 10 employees working there and hundreds of daily visitors.
Their safety assumed more prominence after the last week’s building collapse in Meera Milli Mohalla of Dera Bassi, where four lives were lost.
In the wake of the mishap, the authorities have decided to conduct a survey of all ‘unsafe’ buildings in the Dera Bassi subdivision, wherein the structures older than 50 years would be inspected and demolished if found unsafe, following due procedure.
“The building in which the sub-post office is situated was declared unsafe by the postal department in 2018, but no alternative was found,” said an employee of the post office, who requested anonymity.
The sub-post office is being operated from a single-room rented accommodation in the building that also had an anganwadi. However, considering the risk it posed, around 45 children were accommodated in the room in Dhakoli primary school. But the building is still being used for cooking and storage purposes for the anganwadi children.
Post office’s employees claimed that many a time, they have to stand and work as most of the space is occupied by parcels and other paraphernalia.
“The walls of the building have developed deep cracks and the lack of maintenance makes it worse. It can come crashing down any day. Requests have been forwarded to shift the post office out of this building, but no decision has been made so far in this regard,” added another employee.
The residents, too, at several instances have demanded shifting of the post office to a better place and even suggested the local community centre as an option.
The sub-post office on an average sees a footfall of more than 100 as it caters to Dhakoli, Peermuchalla, Ghazipur, Nagla and Sanuali areas.
SDM’s take
“I will get the post office as well as the anganwadi inspected and if the building is unfit for use, we will definitely shift them out. Safety of people is our priority. I will take up the matter with officials concerned soon,” said Kuldeep Bawa, sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), Dera Bassi.
