Have you ever noticed a grandma waiting anxiously for the postman, the joy on her face when he delivers the inland letter or postcard from her son/daughter and her disappointment when the postman doesn’t stop his bicycle at her gate?
You’ve got it! The postman is the messenger of joy & hope & success. He is also the messenger of sorrow and failure. And the postman brings the message from your loved ones against all odds...be in the deserts of Rajasthan, be in the snow clad mountains of Kashmir or in the islands of Lakshadweep.And we should be grateful to them...because they do it against all odds.
Thus Department of Posts has an inevitable effect on our daily life. They offer services to people with a wide range of budget....be it the post card or the speed post.They employ thousands of people, have offices in almost all villages and maintains an excellent and huge network.
In spite of the invasion of telephone, courier and e-mails, the department still enjoys considerable clout. The reason, definitely is the affordability. And prompt service. We all know that an ordinary mail reaches Kanyakumari from Delhi in five or six days and a speed post in much lesser time. Add to it the value added services like registered post, acknowledgement cards, money order etc. And the contribution of the postal department in creating social awareness is also commendable. The messages printed on the post card and inland letters are fine examples. And the post office savings scheme is popular not only in urban areas but also in rural areas.
But I feel that the reason for the present woes of the department is the huge subsidy given on its services. Though subsidies increases affordability to the common man, the lesser revenue will definitely affect the long term sustainability of the department. A recent research shows that the ordinary mail business of the department is suffering huge losses because of subsidies. When the department tries to compensate for the loss by high charges in registered post/speed post, the competitiveness is affected. You know a D.T.D.C courier from Cochin to N.Delhi costs only 30 rupees, when a speed post costs more than 40 bucks. Here for essentially the same service, the postal department is facing a competitive disadvantage.
Postal department is also changing with changes in technology. It has now introduced online tracking system which is definitely helpful when sending oversees speed post. I have used this service before and found it extremely useful. Add to it the low cost of oversees speed post when compared to courier...speed post costs just over rupees 400 while a comparable courier costs more than rupees 800.
Looking at the bottom line, our life will come to a halt without postal department. The Department tries it best to help the people in spite of its several structural handicaps. The staff also is understanding but moody. I think that the better we deal with them, the better they are.
I don’t have any hesitation in recommending Department of Posts.