A five-year-long wait for a post office has come to an end for the residents of Perumbakkam. In weeks, a post-office classified as non-delivery sub office (NDSO) would be set up at a building located behind the office of the Perumbakkam Selection Grade Village Panchayat. At present, Perumbakkam residents rely on the Medavakkam post office.
N. K. Raja, president, Nesamani Nagar Residents’ Welfare Association, Perumbakkam, says, “We have been requesting for a post-office, either NDSO or a branch office since 2015. I sent a petition to the Post Master General (PMG), Chennai, about this, in 2015.”
The PMG wrote back to Raja, stating that as per departmental norms, there should be a population of more than 3,000 people and the distance between any existing post office and the post office to be created should not be less than three kilometres.
“Immediately, I approached the Perumbakkam Selection Grade Village Panchayat office to furnish the population details. The authorities in the office said that more than 35,000 people reside in Perumbakkam. The distance between the existing post office and the to-be-created post office is more than three kilometres. With these details, I once again took up the matter with the PMG, the Chief Post Master General (CPMG), Chennai and Senior Superintendent of Post Offices (SSPO), West Tambaram.”
The PMG, CPMG and SSPO requested Raja to identify a space for setting up an NDSO. At the Gram Sabha meeting held that year on October 2, Raja submitted a petition to the Village Panchayat to identify a space for setting up an NDSO. A resolution was passed for opening an NDSO on a 300 sq.ft area behind the Public Distribution System (PDS) outlet located on Mettu Street, Perumbakkam.
A copy of the passed resolution was submitted to the offices of PMG and CPMG, and petitions for the creation of a post office, were sent at periodic intervals between 2015 and 2019.
“In 2019, the Assistant Superintendent of Post Offices, Chennai, spoke to me and asked whether space is available immediately for establishing a post-office. I took up the matter with the Panchayat, who pointed out that the allotted space needs to be spruced up. Until then, a temporary post office can function at a building located behind the Panchayat office building. Following this, I met the authorities concerned at the Directorate of Post Office, Chennai, and informed them about the availability of space on the premises of the Panchayat office building,” adds Raja.
The authorities concerned agreed and advised the Senior Superintendent of Post Offices, Tambaram (West), to put a favourable note as the residents have identified the space for the creation of a post office. But, no action was taken in this regard for a year.
In July this year, Raja, took up the matter with the Post Master General and the Chief Post Master General (CPMG), Chennai, through correspondence. He received replies stating that the Department of Posts will explore the option of setting up a post office in the Perumbakkam region.
“At a Dak Adalat meeting, held on September 24 this year, I submitted a petition to the Dak Adalat urging that a post office be established. The petition was forwarded to Senior Superintendent of Post Offices (SSPO), Tambaram. Upon receiving the petition, the Senior Superintendent of Post Offices (SSPO), Tambaram, contacted me a week ago, and said that the request to open a NDSO had been sanctioned from the head post office. I also informed the SSPO about the space available on the premises of the Panchayat office,” says Raja.
Now, the post office is coming up in a building located behind the Perumbakkam Selection Grade Village Panchayat office on a 310 sq.ft area. At present, work on sprucing up the premises by the Panchayat; and administrative works relating to the establishment of the facility by the Department of Posts are under way.
“This is a huge victory for the members of Nesamani Nagar Residents’ Welfare Association and residents of Perumbakkam. I like to thank the authorities concerned in the Perumbakkam Selection Grade Village Panchayat and The Hindu Downtown for their support.”
The post office will function from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Except for work on delivering posts (mail), the residents can use the office for all other (post office) works. Depending on the turnover, in a year or two, steps would be taken to upgrade the NDSO to a sub-office. Till then, the Medavakkam Pin Code number will be in effect in Perumbakkam region.
