BENGALURU: Peanut sellers, flower sellers and even those seeking alms in the city readily accept the QR mode of payment. However, India Post is still rooted in rupee notes and coins, and refuses to embrace interface payment technology. Visitors who wish to avail of post office services should be prepared to carry cash.
The irony is that the neighbourhood post office no longer sells just stamps or covers or books parcels and handles savings accounts of the public. Over the past decade, it has transformed into a multi-utility hub which accepts various bill payments apart from selling application forms for college courses and competitive exams.
Moreover, the Bengaluru postal department is developing IT 2.0 for India Post across the country, to incorporate the latest technology in its operations.
Bewildered customers arguing with counter staff over the cash payment issue is a common sight at the GPO. This is invariably followed by a dash to the nearest ATM to withdraw cash, notwithstanding the several flights of steep stairs.
Adriel Alastair, a second year law student, had to send a document to Germany urgently, and brought only his phone along. “I needed Rs 260 in cash. I managed to convince another customer who had cash to accept a transfer from my side to his mobile number, and paid the counter clerk,” he told TNIE.
“India today runs on this mode of payment. Why does the government launch a BHIM app when a Central government department does not accept such payment?”
Sonu Thakur had to dispatch his parcel from the GPO. “It is my fourth visit here. Each time, the postal department had a problem with modern payment methods. They had a QR facility once, but said it was routed through a third party and I had to pay a little extra.”
The worst hit are customers sending international consignments, who need to carry a few thousand rupees when visiting the Parcel section. Following an uproar on social media last year, QR payment was accepted for parcels alone earlier. “It was stopped nearly three months ago here too,” said an official.
When this reporter visited the GPO to open a savings account, a helpful staffer went out of his way to help. Stating that QR payment was not possible, he got in touch with another staffer who had cash with him, and arranged for transfer of Rs 500 required to open an account to his mobile collect it and hand it at the counter,” he suggested. The account got opened after that was done.
A senior official told TNIE, “The technology we have in our department at present is not compatible with some kinds of payments and we are upgrading it. This issue is common across all post offices. By April 2025, the issue will be sorted out when we incorporate the new IT system getting ready.”