Dear Comrades,
Official apathy and neglect have pushed the Ayanavaram post office to a state of ruins. Both staff and the public face hardships as the post office lacks even basic amenities such as drinking water and toilets. The postal department’s promise of a new building to house the 85-year-old post office, owned by India Post, is yet to be fulfilled.
The building lacks a proper compound wall and the borewell on the premises is also defective. A staff, on condition of anonymity said: “There are numerous problems as the building is very old and we have to work in the midst of all this mess.”
K Ramadoss, president of North Chennai District Exnora and a resident of Ayanavaram said: “Following a representation, then minister for communications Dayanidhi Maran,in 2007, assured us that funds would be allotted under the 11th Five Year Plan for renovating the building. However,only a minor repair work was carried out a few years ago.”
At a ‘Post Forum’ meeting held on May 28, 2009, it was decided to upgrade the post office with “Project Arrow” status to provide basic amenities at the office and e-services to customers, he added. Senior superintendent of post offices (Chennai North) told ‘Express’ that any civil work can be started only after the funds are sanctioned.
Though he assured that action would be taken once the funds were allocated, he did not comment on the communication from the department of post offices on renovation work to be carried out under the 11th Five Year Plan in 2007, a copy of which is with ‘Express’.
Lack of amenities apart, the staff also complain of increased work burden and manpower shortage after two sub-offices which were functioning for more than three decades were closed and merged with the Ayanavaram post office in 2004 without prior notice.
Gangadhar S Patil Express News Service07 Mar 2011 01:49:33 AM IST
