Services take a beating without facilities

THOUGH MANY new services have been introduced and the Postal Department retains the biggest share in the new developing postal market, it has failed to provide the basic requirement to its employees.

THOUGH MANY new services have been introduced and the Postal Department retains the biggest share in the new developing postal market, it has failed to provide the basic requirement to its employees.

HT Image

In recent years, the Postal department introduced door-to-door collection of mail, which include collection of normal mail, Speed Post and this has to be done by the postman. Besides, the postman has been asked to sell postal stamps too on demand of customers. But, due to lack of facilities, the new schemes are lacking proper exposure said sources.

There are some 800 postmen working in 97 post offices in Kanpur City. In most cases, the postman has not been issued a bag to carry mail and other stationery for the last 10 years. Therefore, they carry documents in open bundles tied with a rope. Thus, documents get damaged and this is what was accepted by most of the postmen.

These postmen also said that they were getting a pittance of Rs 30 a month for bicycle maintenance, even as they have to cover more areas due to shortage of manpower and fast-developing new areas in the city.

Some postmen said that they had not been issued the winter uniform for the last several years. These postmen expressed desire for a communication system and increase in their cycle maintenance amount.

However, Talking to the ‘Hindustan Times’ Senior Superintendent Post Offices KK Yadav agreed that without bags, the safety of the mail is compromised. He said that it has come to his knowledge that postmen had not been issued bags for many years. However, he added that the demand for bags has been sent to the Postal Supply Depot (PSD) Aligarh, since these bags are issued from the postal stores.