Team Herald
CURCHOREM: Residents of Curchorem-Sanvordem and surrounding areas are irked over the callous attitude of postal authorities over the functioning of Curchorem post office for the past few years.
Due to the absence of a clerk the post-office has stopped accepting speed-post, registered letters or telephone bills from July 13 and this has put people from the area to inconvenience.
It is learnt that even the Manager of State Bank of India, Curchorem branch had sent a written asking why the facility had been stopped.
According to locals, earlier there were many staff and the service was quick but now with only three staff members, including post-master the day-to-day affairs are not being managed properly.
Everyday people are seen standing in long queues, as one clerk handles most facilities including SCS, RD, KVP, MIS,NSC and saving bank accounts, while the other that handles only speed-post, registration, parcel and window delivery is perennially absent. Besides, the RTI help-desk counter that has been put up is always vacant.
There is no other option other than to stand in a long queue as only one person handles so many accounts, a senior citizen waiting in the queue said.
When contacted, the postmaster said that Curchorem office actually has provision for three clerks and one postmaster, but presently there are only two clerks.
The clerk who has been handling the speed-post and other registered letters has gone for training as per the direction of our head office, Mapusa and would join duty on July 19, till then we cannot accept letters as we cannot handle additional work along with our regular work, she said.
On informed about the difficulties faced by locals, Rita, the Assistant Superintendent of Post, Mapusa said that would ask the post-office to accept letters.
When the matter brought to the notice of the South Goa MP Narendra Sawaikar, he assured to look into the matter.
