Post offices in some locations in the Coimbatore division are unable to serve consumers if there is no power supply as they do not have power back-up arrangements, according to consumer organisations.
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C.M. Jayaraman, president of Citizen’s Voice Club, said in a press release that post offices in some of the prime locations in the city such as Collectorate, Court, and Redfields do no have alternative power supply facilities. The entire postal service comes to a halt on days when there is no power supply. Customers return disappointed as they are unable to complete their job, he alleged.
According to N.R. Ravisankar, president of Consumer Awareness and Protection Association, if Tangedco announces a power shut down in an area, the post offices in those areas do not book money orders, speed posts, or registered letters. These post offices should work manually with the available facilities. One cannot weigh a letter because there is no power to the electronic weighing machine, he claimed. Manual weighing machines should be available for use during such times, he suggested.
Senior Superintendent of Post Offices Sudhir Gopal Jakhere said that generators installed in a couple of offices are having problems and the issue has been taken up with the regional office.
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Coimbatore division has 96 branch post offices, 76 sub-offices and two head post offices. All the offices, even those in rural areas, have Uninterruped Power Supply (UPS) systems so that postal services are not affected even when there is no power supply. However, if consumers face issues in any post office, they can contact him, Mr. Jakhere said.
Mr. Jayaraman added that the Srinivasanagar Post Office should be relocated so that it is more accessible to the public. Several requests have been made in this regard so far. It should be shifted to the main road for the convenience of the public, he said.