CHENNAI: Postal traffic dipped by anywhere between 10 and 20 per cent last week even as unprecedented floods inundated three post offices in the city damaging computers and some manual records.
“The volume in terms of booking of mails, speed posts, registered posts, parcels and money orders dropped from 10 to 20 per cent due to heavy rains and floods between December 1 and 6,” Mervin Alexander, Post Master General, Chennai City Region, told ‘Express’. “But, it cannot be accounted as revenue loss as we would be able to catch up with it in the coming days,” he said, adding that parcels and few manual records were also damaged.
Noting that equipments in three post offices in the south suburbs have been affected in floods, he said a post office was shifted, in the wake of severe inundation. “Post offices located at Guindy Industrial Estate, Nandambakkam and Anakaputhur are badly hit. We have shifted a post office operating in the premises of a university to neighbouring Shollinganallur, after water logging in the area,” he added.
Officials also maintained that most of the employees reported for duty with Postmen delivering mails from Monday. “In fact, we have especially asked the Postmen to deliver at doorsteps. Interestingly, attendance in the three affected post offices was 100 per cent on Monday,” an official said.
About 600 post offices are functioning in the Chennai City Region, of which 120 located in Chennai alone.
Meanwhile, Chennai Post has decided to extend the period for claiming undelivered mails in the light of floods by a fortnight. As per norms, mails, which could not be delivered due to non-availability of receiver at the mailing address, could be claimed within one week.
This period has been increased to 15 days as some people have moved to other places due to inundation of their houses.