Date:09/10/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/10/09/stories/2007100962051000.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Mail business centre launched

Special Correspondent

It will serve corporate customers and senders/recipients of bulk mail

CHENNAI: The Postal Department has launched a mail business centre to serve corporate customers and senders/recipients of bulk mail in five places of the State.

The service has been inaugurated in Coimbatore, Erode, Salem, Madurai and Katpadi. In Chennai, the centres will be opened at the airport and Park Town sorting offices this month, K. Ramachandirann, Postmaster-General (Mail Management), told reporters here on Monday.

Depending upon the need and volume of traffic, 25-30 centres would be opened. The bulk recipients would be assigned PIN (postal index number) codes, he said.

The service would involve collection of articles, processing and direct delivery from the centres to the recipients of bulk mail. “We will also do marketing, for which training will be given to our staff. Business potential in these areas will also be explored,” R. Anand, Director (Mail Business), said.

Logistics Post

Logistics Post, the department’s cargo service, was attracting more response, Mr Ramachandirann said. It was being offered on seven routes, including Chennai-Bangalore, Chennai-Vijayawada and Chennai-Thiruvanthapuram, and would be extended to two more routes: Chennai-Hyderabad and Chennai-Thanjavur. Till now, the State Circle earned Rs. 49 lakh. With the extension of the service, the target for the year, Rs. 10 crore, would be realised, the Postmaster-General said.

In and around Chennai, the department had a warehousing facility at St. Thomas Mount. It would be introduced at Aynavaram and Triplicane.

Besides 29 national Speed Post centres in the State Circle, 17 more centres would start functioning from Tuesday. Arakkonam, Chengalpattu, Ambasamudram, Namakkal, Ranipet, Tindivanam, Tenkasi and Udumalpet were among the new centres. The State Circle would host the national philatelic exhibition here from January 2 to 6.

Postal Week

As part of the Postal Week, several events would take place from Tuesday. On Saturday, the results of the letter writing contest would be declared and prizes distributed. Forty thousand entries had been received, Mr Ramachandirann said.