In the age of digital India, Internet is supposed to be the driving force for new India but the long queues at Canacona post office suggest a different story as locals and postal staff frequently break into arguments over long delays in getting their work done with no connectivity being the most common reply from the front office staff at Canacona post office.
Locals complain that a visit to the Canacona taluka’s central Post office located at the commercial town at Chaudi has become a nightmarish experience. The locals are made to stand in queues for long hours and most of the time they are told that there is problem with net connectivity and asked to return some other day. Some of the locals standing in the queue, speaking to this correspondent, complained that they are coming for last four days to the post office. Another lady from Agonda, requesting not to be named, bitterly complained about the poor services at the post office, saying: “I have a fixed deposit which got matured over three months ago and the staff which is not co-operative keeps telling me to try next time. I am building a house and I am not able to make payments to the labour and purchase materials for my house,” she bitterly complained.
Diogo Da Silva, a social activist and a businessman based at Chaudi, speaking to Herald complained about the slow speed and impolite nature of the staff working at the post office and demanded action against this erring staff who frequently break into arguments when questioned.
When asked about the allegations of the locals and the difficulties faced by them the post master said that earlier they had an account with local bank and disbursing payments was easy and fast and since last couple of months this system is stopped and they have to get cash from head office based at Margao which takes more time which sometimes dissatisfies our customers, “staff strength is also less in my post office and with increase in work load like passenger reservation for trains and other regular postal work it’s tough for the two staff to quickly handle the people coming to the post office which leads to some arguments” the post master explained.
The officials at the senior superintendent of post office in Mapusa seemed to agree with most of the difficulties faced by the customers of the Canacona post office and said all decisions are taken at level above them.
