The colonial rulers had introduced postal services in India in July 1852. A letter costing two paisas was delivered efficiently in every corner of the subcontinent. We inherited this excellent people-friendly system in 1947.
The officials trained by the colonial masters maintained the system and expanded it with the increase in population and the establishment of new cities/towns/villages across the country.
Unfortunately, the standard of postal services has declined over the years. For example, in Chaklala Cantonment, letter boxes on Jhelum Road, Lal Kurti Bazaar, Firdousi Road, Adyala Road, Sarwar Road, Chaklala Scheme III, etc., have either been removed or shifted to the side lanes.
One of them has been moved to a restricted area that is inaccessible to citizens. The net result is the promotion of expensive private courier services which may be good enough for the well-off, but certainly not for the poor.
The authorities concerned should take notice of this decline in postal services, and work on setting things right for the welfare of the poor.
Also, a sudden increase in postage charges, like from Rs8 to Rs20, should be reconsidered urgently in order to provide relief to the poor.
AKRAM NIAZI
RAWALPINDI
