Bhubaneswar: The Railway Mail Service (RMS) here has remained dysfunctional for the last few days much to the inconvenience of people who want to send crucial official mails or parcels to their loved ones.
The speed post service under RMS, Bhubaneswar which is part of the India Post, developed technical glitches August 1, said RMS sources.
Speaking to Orissa POST, Bhubaneswar RMS officer-in-charge, Ganesh Mahapatra, said, “There is a technical glitch that occurred last Saturday which causes booking problems in the speed post service. We have raised the issue with our technical partner TCS and it is up to them to rectify it. Currently, we are helpless. However, one can opt for speed post service at GPO (PMG) and Foreign Post and International Business Centre at Mancheswar and many other counters in the city.”
Meanwhile, many are facing difficulties in postal communication as a crucial wing of India Post has gone kaput. Minati Swain, who reached the RMS for a speed post Tuesday, was disappointed with the state of affairs when she couldn’t send some important documents to her sister at Karanjia in Mayurbhanj district.
“What the authorities are doing when they know about the technical issue since last Saturday and it’s already Tuesday. ” said Swain.
Surendra Jena, a native of Rasulgarh area, said, “I had booked a speed post for the UK July 20, but my brother is yet to receive the parcel. Officials said that due to Covid the schedule of international flights has been changed which could have caused the delay. Earlier, I was told that it was the most reliable method of sending articles to your loves ones and now I am waiting when the parcel will be delivered. The officials at Mancheswar have assured me of quick action.”
Director of India Post (GPO), Bhubaneswar, Aditya Kumar Nayak, said, “We don’t have any issues with speed post booking here besides the RMS segment. If anyone is facing any issues he/she can contact us. We also have a grievance cell where one can lodge complaints and we will track down issues. The RMS issue is a technical problem which will be sorted out soon.”
Notably, the number of international articles cleared at Mancheswar has reduced from 200 during pre-Covid period to 20 now. Except medicines, all articles are cleared immediately. One can register their complaints by visiting ww.indiapost.gov.in and articles could be tracked, said the authorities.
Rajendra Kumar Mahapatra, in–charge of Foreign Post and International Business Centre at Mancheswar, said, “There are more than 20 speed post hubs in the city and one can book from anywhere. The only advantage the RMS has is 24-hour booking of speed post and registry which is currently unavailable.”
Meanwhile, GPO Director Aditya Kumar Nayak said that the technical glitches have been sorted out and normalcy was restored to the Railway Mail Service in the evening.