CHENNAI: The next time you run out of mobile balance and you are near Anna Road Head Post Office, don’t look out for a roadside shop for recharging. Instead, visit the post office and get the job done within minutes.
The postal department has tied up with CSC e-Governance Services India Limited for operating Common Service Centers (CSC) to provide a range of public utility services all under one roof.
The first such facility in Tamilnadu postal circle was inaugurated at Anna Road Head Post Office this Wednesday. Initially, the CSC will provide limited services, like mobile data card and DTH recharge, mobile bill payments, besides booking of bus tickets. Presently, there is a single counter in place which would accept both card and cash payments for the services rendered.
Postal authorities say key services like applying for PAN Card, booking of train tickets, ePrinting of Aadhaar cards will be provided shortly.
Speaking to EXPRESS, Charles Lobo, Chief Postmaster General, Tamilnadu Circle, said CSC is a single window mechanism which would deliver 52 services in total. “The CSC at Anna Road is being tried for one month and we will evaluate its success. However, we are confident that it will become popular as public are comfortable with post offices,” he said.
He also said that plans are afoot to setup similar CSCs in all head post offices in the State in a phased manner, possibly within the next two months. In all, there are 94 Head Post Offices (HPO) in Tamil Nadu.
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely in his budget speech announced that Head Post Offices will be used as front office for passport services. This will enable people to avoid long-distance travel for obtaining a passport.
Confirming the same, Charles Lobo said, “Passport Seva Kendras will be setup at Vellore and Salem within 15 days. These are places approved by the Ministry of External Affairs, which felt that such a facility should be extended to people living in far-flung places where there are no Passport Seva Kendras.”