Postal employees seek CM's help

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, DEC. 7. Around 680 `Speed Post' articles were delivered in the State today, even though the indefinite strike continued to cripple most of the postal operations for the third day.

Of the total articles, 400 were sent to addressees in Chennai. As many as 270 articles were booked on Thursday to be sent through `Speed Post', according to a press note issued by Mrs. Vatsala Raghu, Postmaster General (Mail Management).

The postal authorities also maintained other services on a limited scale. Sale of stamps was effected at post offices such as Anna Road, T.Nagar and Greames Road besides GPO. A total of 293 post offices operated in the State.

Five railway mail sections functioned and arrangements were made for the functioning of two more sections towards Bangalore and Mettupalayam.

On Thursday, about 1,700 employees reported for duty against the figure of 1,746 on Wednesday. The number of mail bags went up to nearly 11,000, an accretion of about 1,000 more in a day, the press release stated.

Meanwhile, a joint committee of agitating postal unions appealed to the Chief Minister, Mr. M. Karunanidhi, to take up the case of the unions with the Centre and get their demands fulfilled.

Madurai

Postal services continued to remain paralysed today as desperate attempts by the Postal Division in Madurai to restore normality failed.

The services of Home Guards and ex-servicemen did not bring down the severity of the strike. The posts and money orders were piling up in almost all post offices in Madurai, Virudhunagar, Theni, Dindigul and Sivagangai districts.

All the courier offices in the city registered a sharp increase in their business. The payments of telephone bills also suffered heavily.

Tiruchi

Postal services in Tiruchi, Karur, Perambalur and Pudukottai districts continued to remain crippled.

Except for Speed Post, all the other postal services remained affected. Postal bags continued to pile up in RMS and other post offices in the district.

Mr. T. S. Govindarajan, Post Master General, Tiruchi, said Speed Post bookings and delivery were being done as usual. However not many customers were forthcoming to book articles due to apprehensions of possible delay in delivery. Consequently, courier services reported roaring business.

Meanwhile, revenue officials in the districts were in a fix over despatching the old age pensions, which are normally sent through money orders. In Tiruchi district, about 44,000 old age pensions to the tune of Rs.85 lakhs were yet to be despatched.

Thanjavur

Postal services continued to be affected n Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam districts.

However at Thanjavur, important speed post letters were delivered to Government offices by Inspectors who have not participated in strike.

Vellore

While the postal strike continued for the third day today, courier services did a roaring business in all important towns in Vellore and Tiruvannamalai districts.

The daily bookings in the various courier services in Vellore have more than doubled while the flow of incoming articles to these private services have also increased.

Postal services remained totally paralysed in all the four postal divisions in Vellore and Tiruvannamalai districts. No mail bags or Speed Post articles were received at the Katpadi RMS in Vellore division in view of the strike.

In Tiruvannamalai division, no mail bags were received. However, two Speed Post articles and one Speed Post money order were received from the Viluppuram RMS and the officials were taking steps to deliver them by contacting the addressees over the phone.

Erode

Hundreds of postal bags were piled up uncleared in the RMS and Post Office in Erode district.

Unusual crowd was seen in some courier service offices.

Coimbatore

The Department of Posts today utilised the Home Guards' services to keep two Head Post Offices and some select post offices functioning in Coimbatore city.

About 20 Home Guards were posted in six post offices, including the two HPOs at R.S. Puram and the Goods Shed Road. The Home Guards were involved in opening of mail bags, receiving and preliminary sorting of mails. However, sorting at the RMS continued to be hit.

The Postal Department also planned to introduce a window delivery system under which they would call up banks and other major establishments to inform them of their mails or parcels lying at the post office so that they could have these picked up.

Nagercoil

The letters and parcels lay unattended at the RMS and the Head Post Office in Nagercoil and many sorting offices wore a deserted look with the mail all piled up.

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