Staff stir cripples postal services

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, DEC. 5. The country-wide indefinite strike by postal staff paralysed postal services in the State.

Barring V-SAT services and sale of stamps and postal orders in select head post offices in the State, all other services were crippled as most of the clerical-level staff struck work.

According to the Chief Postmaster General, Mr. V.M. Kelkar, all the managerial staff -- those above the rank of Inspector -- reported for duty and they had been deployed to provide essential services such as sale of stamps and postal orders. Besides, people could utilise the V-SAT services.

Mr. Kelkar, who said the loss of revenue on account of the strike was still being worked out, stated that over 90 per cent of the clerical staff had struck work. An attempt was being made to deliver the mail received by the department up to Monday night. The mail would probably be delivered during the next 48 hours. The managerial staff had also been asked to handle the mail. However, those expecting mail, especially in bulk, could approach the officers in some of the key post offices and get their mail.

Mr. Kelkar said essential services were being provided in six post offices, including the General Post Office, in Bangalore. A couple of officers were manning the counters at the GPO but there were hardly any customers.

Meanwhile, the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the postal employees stated that the strike was total in the State. The JAC disputed the claims of the authorities that essential services were being provided in some of the key post offices.

According to Mr. M. Neelappa, Assistant General Secretary of the All-India Postal Employees' Union, all the 32,000 postal employees -- including the managerial staff -- of post offices, Railway Mail Service and the extra-departmental employees in the rural areas of the State had struck work.

The union office-bearers said that about 22 lakh to 25 lakh items of mail were posted in the State daily and the turnover of the department was about Rs. 1 crore per day.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Southern States
Previous : Police put on general alert
Next     : A school par excellence in South Kodagu