Post office shortage in Panaji affects seniors

Panaji: After the closure of the Old Secretariat and Panaji Market branches, Panaji currently has only one fully operational post office.

The shortage is creating difficulties for senior citizens, govt offices, banks, and private businesses. During the Dak Adalat organised by the postmaster general, Goa, at Tapal Bhavan, Panaji, citizens highlighted the need for a dedicated postal counter in the city centre to address these challenges.

“In the name of rationalising postal services, smaller post offices are being shut down and merged with big ones. One such example is at Aquem in Margao or even Ribandar, which is operating in the same premises as the Velha Goa (Old Goa) Post Office,” said activist Roland Martins.

“A resurvey was not done for many years, although many building complexes have come up, and the number of postmen has not increased. This is causing extreme hardship to the present postmen due to an increase in the workload,” he added.

Citizens urged the Goa postal authorities to regularly inspect post offices, maintain complaint books at all branches, and revive quarterly post forum meetings in 2026–27 to gather consumer feedback. Suggestions were also discussed to improve customer service.