BENGALURU: Due to the thousands of Electoral Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) being sent daily on behalf of the State Election Commission via India Post, employees of the Karnataka Postal Department are working on holidays and Sundays to ensure they reach the voter. The department has already delivered 5 lakh EPIC cards and expects the number of deliveries to go up to 20 lakh by mid-April. It is also ensuring strict vigilance over items booked via a post on the directive of the EC.
Chief Postmaster General (CPMG), Karnataka Circle, S Rajendra Kumar told TNIE, “We are presently accepting bookings of EPIC cards only at 68 centres due to the safety aspect involved. However, delivery of cards is done through all our 9,613 post offices in the state. They are booked through Speed Post only and delivery will be done at the address specified.” In certain locations, pick-up and drop service of EPIC cards was also being carried out.
Since August, the despatch of EPIC cards had begun. “It has picked up pace in the last two months and we are doing our best to ensure they all reach in time,” he added.
The Postal Department came into the picture for delivering EPIC cards following an MoU for 5 years signed by the Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka, on July 25. Under the agreement, the tracking and tracing of all the articles can be done. Bengaluru GPO is the nodal officer for all purposes and 73 electoral officers have been identified for pick up and booking of EPICs.
“Postal staff goes all out to deliver the cards on the date of receipt and delivery information is constantly updated through the Postman Mobile App,” Kumar added.
Vigilance squad checks
With heavy checks underway on the road route, the SEC has asked us to be vigilant to ensure malpractices are not being done via postal articles, the CPMG said. “The vigilance squad of the department is keeping a strict tab. We cannot open the postal articles on our own but we have other ways of detecting illegal items being booked.” He did not elaborate on it.