Postal department restarts operations amid lockdown

Ranchi: Government-run India Post, which had witness an almost 90% slump in business after private courier services gradually took over, has begun its operations in the ongoing

lockdown

. As most private courier services have shut their operations amid the

Covid-19

threat, India Post has jumped into delivery service business and deployed its staff, but not without taking measures to ensure their safety.

From ensuring timely delivery of official mails to making medical consignments reach their destinations across the state, the postal employees are now working with more vigour, though the service is still less in demand.

Talking to TOI, senior post master of Ranchi GPO, Sanjay Kumar Gupta, said, “I have a total strength of 42 postmen who look after the delivery of mails in our delivery zone. But due to the slump in demand for our services, we have divided them into three batches — two of 14 postmen each and one comprising 13 postmen — on an alternate basis. I have directed the postmen to deliver mails and packages in areas which do not come under their zones, too, if the particular postman of that area is not on duty.”

The postal department is also using its vehicles to transport consignments received from Railway Mail Services (RMS) and air cargo to distribute them across the state.

Gupta said, “A Lalpur resident inquired about her package last week and said she wasn’t able to come and pick it up. Our postman from that area was on leave, but we immediately assigned the task to another postman on duty as there were medicines in the package. Apart from medicines, we are delivering letters and mails from banks and other government departments which are functional. These items are delivered on a priority basis.”

Senior officials at the postal department confirmed that the postal services are working day and night to deliver essential commodities as well as important mails across the state. “Our vehicles collect mails and packages from RMS centres on a daily basis and apart from that, whenever air cargo is brought to Ranchi airport, we arrange for their immediate distribution to their respective destinations across the state,” Gupta added.

Currently, Air India is operating flights for ferrying only emergency items related to the fight for Covid-19 to Ranchi airport.