Editorial of Bhartiya Post - September 2012

SAVE POSTAL FROM THE OPERATION POSTAL POLICY

The Minister of Communication has released the Indian Postal Policy 2012 document recently which is nothing but the replica of the earlier Telecom policy which ruined the telecom totally by unbundling of all the Government involvement and made it easy for sale to the corporates which led the telecom into the Corporation and today the sinking boat.

The Minister’s declaration for the constitution of Postal Development Board consisting the Secretaries of Department Posts, Department of Economic Affairs , Department of Electronics and information technology, Department of commerce and two members of the Postal Board is just to create more power centers which will lead to not to take any decision under any circumstances and the concept of the Postal as a social service to common citizens will corrode and crumble and the post will become a commodity for sale.

Further the other committee Postal Advisory Council comprising policy makers, Postal operators and other stakeholders is nothing but to open competition in the service and to form a level playing field for the couriers aiding them to encroach the Postal service legally by granting licences.

The other move of the introduction of public private partnership (PPP) and carrying out the functions of the couriers like booking and delivery by the post office on a commercial basis will tantamount the destruction of the age old public utility service. The importance of Postal will vanish and the Rural poor forfeits the existing services due to unwarranted competition. Instead of utilizing the abundant infrastructure and workforce in the Department in improving the service, the Government is now unleashing to unbundling the existing rights and privileges of the Postal service for favouring courier lobby and private enterprises. Everyday we are seeing one after the other scams and loots because of the policy in all sectors by allowing the PPP.

The aftermath of the globalization debacles, the western countries are now realizing the need for the Government services in many sectors and changing their policies by reversing their earlier decisions. Even the automatic mail processing machines become outdated and were condemned in western countries whereas the condemned machines are being brought under the modernization scheme for the utility of Indian Postal Service. The planners at the top do not realize the seriousness and the impact of such outdated machines. The AMPC now installed in Delhi is the glaring example for such a bad decision like introduction of air freighter earlier for carrying mails.

Postal Department needs experts in Business, Management and Maintainance of age old Postal services to suit the current requirements. The half hazard Postal policies will hamper and deteriorate the present service and driven into chaos, confusions. We shall resist, react and retort the move of the revised Postal policy and unite ourselves for a massive Trade union action in case the draft become the permanent policy. Let us keep ourselves ready for any such eventualities to save the Postal as Government service and keep our gun powder dry.