Sacred Postal Service

Muslim Murasu, April 2011

Postal department stands forefront among the service organizations in government. In recent times it is facing harsh criticism. The lofty service rendered by postal department in bridging humanity across forests, hills, deserts and seas should not be gauged in monetary terms. Postal service is lofty exemplary of unity in India. It should not be compared with other departments in central government. This can be considered completely as a service department.
With 1,55,000 branches and buildings amounting to a space of 500 acres, it is spread across the country. The department is teetering with loss of 6000 crore rupees. Plans are set afoot by multinationals and local barons to avail the opportunity and gulp it. Postal department that grew as a mammoth organization stands tall even today in public confidence. Buildings in prime locations in cities bear witness for its presence. Ideas are needed to refine the department. But it is precarious to float ideas to sell, lease or have complete private sway.
Hundreds and thousands of crores of rupees is spent in nuclear arsenal development in the country. Tax waiving for large corporate houses for the current financial year amounts to five lakh crore rupees. Financial loss in postal department pales in comparison.
Postal department gives life sustaining assistance and help to poor and middle class people. Regional committees can be commissioned to remove delays and lapses in postal service. Post offices located in hills, islands, remote villages and forest areas can be connected through internet.
Postal department in developed countries have been converted into logistics, financial and banking service arms. Intellectuals in the country are advising to exactly copy this. There is no need to hide the banking scams in the country that are already causing huge continual losses. Conspiracies are set loose to implement finance exchange schemes and cripple service rendering postal department. Five lakh employees will be commercialized. Service mentality that is cultivated over past 63 years will be broken. Thanks to private efforts, an income of thousand crore rupees has been generated in a year from 340 centers. There are lots of ways for such commercial revenues. Public contact will be devastated if postal department is commercialized.
Railways and Postal departments are drawing harsh criticism. But these are the prominent exemplars for India’s widespread, vast, deep-rooted, traditional plurality and unity. Whatever be the amounting losses, these two departments should not be removed from common people. Private multinational firms with single-minded goal of profit should not be allowed to enter.