Chitlapakkam residents oppose post office merger
 
Residents of Chitlapakkam are protesting a move by the Department of Posts to temporarily merge the post office in their area with an adjacent one. On May 1, the Department appealed to residents of Chitlapakkam to provide 750 sq.ft. of land at reasonable rent to relocate the office.
The present post office is functioning from a cramped and crumbling building on Chitlapakkam Second Main Road; the Department pays a monthly rent of Rs. 500 to Chitlapakkam Panchayat. In its appeal, the department said the present building could collapse any moment and it was imperative to identify an alternative site: “If suitable accommodation is not secured before May 10, the Department will be forced to temporarily merge Chitlapakkam Post Office with one of the nearby post offices.”
The residents’ disapproval was vehement. “Senior citizens are dependent on this post office for basic money transactions and it would be extremely difficult for them to travel a long distance,” said P. Viswanathan, convenor of Chitlapakkam Residents Coordination Committee.
He wondered why the department could not build a new post office on its own five grounds of land barely 100 metres from the existing post office. In the absence of bank branches, the post office was the only place where middle class and poor sections could maintain savings accounts. The merger would deprive basic services to people, Mr. Viswanathan claimed. Town Panchayat authorities have expressed willingness to carry out repair works but said they would increase the rent to Rs. 3,000.
While agreeing that the merger with nearby post offices would cause some hardship, senior officials of the Department said they had run out of options. No Chitlapakkam resident has as yet volunteered to let out his or her premises. The present building was so dilapidated that staff had started seeking transfers. Financial aid was awaited from the Central government for constructing the department’s building on its own land, officials said. Source: TheHindu
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