Postal employees a worried lot

VELLORE: The government proposal to do away with the practice of sending money orders to pensioners and instead transfer money through banks from September this year has caused consternation among the officials of the postal department, who fear that the move could ultimately lead to the closing down of post offices.“The new system would not only affect the revenue of the postal department, but also hits the social obligation of service to people,” V Santhanaraman, Senior Superintendent of Post Offices, Vellore Divn,  told Express. On the government’s contention that there were instances of irregularities and harassment of addressees at the delivery point, he said that it did not happen everywhere and that it could be sorted out. There are around 400 post offices in the district and the revenue through money order, by way of commission, is between `1.5 to ` 1.8 crore, he said. Apart from the loss in revenue, there would be a reduction in the number of employees in post offices, which in due course may lead to the closure of some of the post offices, he said.He is also skeptical about the new system helping beneficiaries. “The postman visits to the area everyday and if a pensioner is not found in the house one day, the beneficiary can receive it the next day. It may not be possible in banks,” he said. The postal department officials also point out that pensioners opening a bank account and then drawing the money from the account may not be a good idea as it will pose difficulties to senior citizen s.The number of pensioners receiving money orders in the district was 2,62,642, he said, adding that they were beneficiaries under various schemes. While the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension, Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension, Indira Gandhi National Disabled Pension are jointly funded by the Central and State Governments, Disabled Persons’ Pension, Destitute Widows’ Pension, Deserted Wives’ Pension and Unmarried Poor Women’s Pension are funded by the State.