Their engagement with post offices goes beyond availing services to contributing to the development of services. They are members of Post Forum, which has turned 25. Started in 1990 at Greams Road post office, the Forum has over the years, spread to many other post offices, including the Anna Road head post office, Park Town, Mylapore and Anna Nagar.
Members of the forum meet every three months and discuss issues pertaining to postal services. G. Lakshmi Narayanan, a Post Forum member at Anna Road HPO says: “I use the speed post services as an employee of a publishing house. I was glad to join the Forum when they nominated me. Many of our suggestions about parcel services and speed posts have been implemented.”
A forum, formed at a post office, should have a minimum of seven members and has a tenure of one year. The Department now plans to have more such forums. Postal officials say the recent suggestions of the Forum that were implemented include shifting of post offices to the ground floor and establishment of separate counters for the convenience of senior citizens.
To mark the silver jubilee celebrations, the Department of Posts recently released a special cover.
