A few decades
ago, the Post Office in every area was the most visited place – it used to be
always busy…… people used to communicate through letters [post cards / inland
letters / covers and the like…] – when was the last time, you ever wrote a
letter [handwritten] to your relative or
to your friend – a few decades ago, that was the most chosen form of
communication…. Caring parents would send off their wards telling ‘drop a
letter immediately upon reaching the place’ … almost all official communication
was by way of typed letters with signature of authorized persons. Then there was this telegram – the most
efficient and speedy communication of message[of those days] ….. Deepavali,
Pongal, New Year and the like – people used to send Greeting Cards through
Postal Department.
Till a couple of
decades ago, hardly a week would go by without the postman bringing a postcard
from a family member or an acquaintance. One used to wait anxiously for the
arrival of the postman who used to bring in some important message written in
postcards or folded blue inland letters. Sir Post ! [thapal] was the most
sought after word to be heard ! ….. In those days, frequent users could
register and obtain what was known as ‘PO Bag No.’ ….. it was sort of special
space for the recipient at a Postal Office and was an easy way of providing
accurate address….
The service is
centuries old ! – the British East India Company took constructive steps to
improve the existing systems in India and in 1688, they opened a post office in Bombay
followed by similar ones in Calcutta and Madras. The Post Office Department of
the East India Company was first established in 1774 at Calcutta. Although the Indian Post Office was
established in 1837, Asia's first adhesive stamp, the Scinde Dawk, was
introduced in 1852 by Sir Bartle Frere, the British East India Company's
administrator of the province of Sind. Indian Post and Telegraphs was a vast network
providing employment to thousands....
Old order
changeth .... and new replaces old ~with the modern day technology, of
computers and smartphones – there is little of handwritten communication and
less of printed letters – in this World of FB, Whatsapp and more – more people
are weaning away from e-mails too. Still
there are letters and parcels - the
Rajiv Gandhi Salai aka IT corridor buzzes with activity and is dotted with so
many IT parks – once in a while, we read in newspapers that several techies
working in firms along the IT Corridor have missed letters and parcels
addressed to them; not the fault of postman or postal department but their own
employers !
It was reported that nearly
25% of the 300-400 mails and articles that land at each of the seven post
offices along the IT corridor, every day, is returned or delivered late as
security personnel at IT firms refuse to accept personal mails of employees. Postmen
of Sholinganallur and Perungudi complain that waiting for long hours at IT
firms to deliver mail has affected service to other residents in nearby
localities. To resolve the issue, Department
of Posts reportedly wrote to over 30 IT companies in Kelambakkam,
Sholinganallur, Perungudi and Okkiyam-Thoraipakkam. [not sure whether the
postman was allowed to deliver these letters at least !]
The Post Master General of
Chennai City Region is quoted as saying - “Our staffers contact the addressees
on their mobile numbers, if specified in the mails. But, a bulk of the articles
is still returned. We plan to represent the issue to the labour department
again, as a lot of effort is wasted and delivery to other residents is
delayed.” The reason is not too
convincing ! - Nasscom’s senior director is quoted as responding that thousands of employees in IT firms move between
various site offices and hence it is difficult to track every employee’s schedule.
The Postal Dept should be delivering the letters / parcels at the given
addresses and will not their responsibility end there !! – if the IT Company is
not in a position to locate their own staff – what can an outsider do !!
Today’s The Hindu reports
that frustrated over the treatment meted out to the postal staff for several
months now, the postal department is considering initiating legal action
against those IT firms that deny access to deliver letters and parcels to
employees. It is stated that for years now, seven post offices along the IT
corridor have been finding it challenging to deliver mails to IT employees. On
an average, each of these offices gets 300-400 mails daily. Now, at least 50
mails and Speedpost articles are returned undelivered daily to Sholinganallur
post office as the security personnel did not allow postmen to deliver them.
After a round of meetings
with the Labour Department and representatives of IT companies, some firms
agreed to be receptive. Still it is stated that a few companies like Wipro
Technologies continue to deny access to Postal staff. They do not even accept
intimation slips that help the recipients trace letters or articles addressed
to them.
All is not well ~ and not
taking postal covers and not allowing postal officials smacks of something
else.
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
10th June 2015.
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