For close to 100 years, the Mandaveli post office on R.K. Mutt Road served its purpose very well — as a public utility and a landmark. And now, it is time to go. It has been razed to the ground. The building has been in a derelict state for over a decade. According to regulars, in recent times, the structure had been showing signs of crumbling.
It is speculated that the Department of Posts decided to call in the demolition machines fearing that rains would do the job.
According to the staff, the demolition was long over due and the department had called for tender many a time. The postal staff say the demolition is not complete and will continue for a few more days.
“Many of us saw the building as our house. It was small, with tiled roofs and two entrances. Until the Mylapore and R.A. Puram post offices came up, this was the only post office for residents of Mandaveli and surrounding areas,” says Suriyanarayanan K. J., honorary secretary, Mylapore Academy.
The staff at the Mandaveli Post Office were always courteous, say regulars.
In recognition of their services, the Mylapore Academy presented a trophy to them in the mid-2000s.
According to a report in the January 14, 2005 edition of The Hindu , the post office was opened on March 5, 1907 and was originally known as the Brodies Road post office. That was the name of the road, before it received its present name.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the post office would start functioning as early as 7.30 a.m. to serve office-goers. The last clearance of mail was at 9.15 p.m., so that letters could be sent by air. This arrangement went on till August 1980. A telegraph office functioned on the premises till 1978, says the report.
The sub-post office, as it was called, was closed in 2005 as the building was old and beyond redemption. The facility was moved to another building a few metres away, which served as quarters for senior staff of the Postal Department.
“Later, we closed the first and second floors of the building as they developed cracks.
Now, only the ground floor functions as Mandaveli post office,” says Neela Krishnan, senior superintendent (Central Division). Once the demolition work is complete, we are going to construct a new post office on the same premises.
Spread over a ground, this land belongs to the Postal Department and is too centrally located for anyone to miss it.
