India Post's rakhi delivery slows down amid tech upgrade, steep couriers step in
Citizens are being forced to spend several times over with private courier services to ensure their parcels reach on time.
The problem has persisted since the last few days. Pune resident Sanjay Shirodkar told TOI he was compelled to use a private courier after trying unsuccessfully for several days to book through India Post. "I visited the post office for three days and ultimately sent the rakhi package via courier on Wednesday.
The two parcels cost Rs190 each, instead of Speed Post's Rs41 each," he said.
India Post booking was either closed or very slow because of server issues and post offices were unbelievably crowded. Pune GPO phone number was not even working, he added.
You Can Also Check:
Pune AQI
|
Weather in Pune
|
Bank Holidays in Pune
|
Public Holidays in Pune
Social media platforms are flooded with complaints which highlight the widespread service disruptions.
A user reported two urgent parcels being marked as delivered on July 29 and 30, though it was not received, causing "major losses."
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Woman sells ring given by ex, then jeweler tells her 'This can't be true'
Daily Sport X
Undo
Another person complained about a Speed Post item showing no update or movement since Aug 2, describing the situation as "jeopardising businesses."
Jharkhand's Sachin Parashar said he booked a Speed Post on July 28 with an expected delivery time of around five days. However, the package remained undelivered even after nine days. "I filed an online complaint on Aug 2 and was told to expect a response in three days — but nothing happened.
The booking post office's response was appalling. They failed to provide any update, saying systems are getting upgraded," he told TOI.
An X post on Wednesday said: "Poor service at Jaipur's Vaishalinagar post office. I waited for 2.5 hours to send a rakhi, but returned without doing so because the counter got closed."
Pune resident Savita Thorat (39) said on Wednesday, "I've been standing in queue at the GPO for over two hours.
Officials have said it may take at least another one and half hours more since the server is down. I need to send a rakhi urgently. The delay is stressful."
Mukesh Bhoite (52) of Pune said, "I was at the GPO on Tuesday and waited in the queue till 7pm. I've already been waiting for over an hour today. If there's a technical issue, it should be communicated clearly to people. I've been trying to send a rakhi and a gift since Monday."
Meanwhile, an official memorandum of Aug 6 from the department of posts announced extended working hours for multi-purpose counter machines till 5pm from Aug 6 to 8 to facilitate smooth postal transactions because of "the anticipated heavy public rush during the rakhi festival period."
The Press Information Bureau issued a statement on Wednesday: "India Post has undertaken a nationwide rollout of the advanced postal technology application as part of its digital transformation under IT 2.0 — marking a major step toward delivering faster, smarter and customer-centric services.
The first day of rollout on Aug 4 was slow given the scale and complexity of the migration which is spanning over 1.6 lakh post offices.
The technical team worked round-the-clock and rectified the slowness by Aug 5," it said.
Despite India Post's claims of resolution, customers continued reporting issues on Wednesday and raised questions about the timing of such a major system upgrade during an important festival and the fact that they have had to turn to private courier services.
Chetan More, franchise owner, DTDC (Chandannagar), told TOI, "We've seen a 40% increase in clients over the last four to five days. The rush is higher than what we have seen during Raksha Bandhan in the last few years. Most bookings are to send rakhis and gifts."
Manoj Yadav, franchise owner of a Delhivery retail courier store, said, "We've had several people come to us in the last few days saying they couldn't send rakhis because of India Post server issues.
Client footfall at our store has gone up drastically over the last three to four days compared to a week ago."
A senior India Post official told TOI, "The IT 2.0 project has been underway for over a year. There was no specific reason to time it around the festival season — nearly 50% of the upgrade was completed a few days ago. The rollout has been gradual and we've been scaling up operations in phases. Unfortunately, over the last few days, the system slowed down while being implemented across 1.6 lakh post offices nationwide."
Despite this, India Post has been booking around 20 lakh articles daily. "On Tuesday, we handled nearly 20 lakh articles and bookings had crossed 15 lakh by Wednesday afternoon. There were intermittent glitches, which are expected in a digital migration of this scale."
The official further said, "Delivery may have been delayed because of system-related issues. Postmen rely on a mobile application. In case of technical issues, the instruction is to go ahead with manual delivery and maintain a physical record. However, implementation may vary between post offices."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
TOI impact: NGT puts Chandigarh MC, CPCC on notice over Dadumajra crisis
1 2 Chandigarh: Taking suo motu cognisance of the TOI report, published on July 23, about a public health emergency due to missed deadlines to remove legacy waste at Dadumajra, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued notices to the Chandigarh municipal corporation and Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee (CPCC). The NGT noted, "The news item relates to a major environmental and public health emergency at the Dadumajra dumping site in Chandigarh. The article mentions that the heavy monsoon rains are aggravating the crisis. The article highlights that due to continuous heavy rains, overflowing leachate, contaminated liquid runoff mixed with solid waste, is spreading into nearby fields and even seeping into the Patiala Ki Rao Choe. " According to TOI report, initially, the authorities promised to clear the waste by May 31, but on the same day, a massive fire erupted at the dumping ground, requiring 1.25 lakh litres of water to extinguish the flame. The deadline was then pushed to July, but the garbage is still there. Residents said the situation has deteriorated into a severe public health emergency. They reported a rise in respiratory illnesses, skin diseases, and serious conditions like tuberculosis and cancer. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Beyond Text Generation: An AI Tool That Helps You Write Better Grammarly Install Now Undo The foul odour from the leachate has made it difficult to breathe, and many allege that constant exposure to the stench is affecting their health. Residents have also raised concerns about safety, stating that the leachate flowing onto roads has made them slippery and dangerous. Despite repeated demands from residents for urgent action, they claim that no effective measures have been taken so far. The tribunal, in its order, said, "The news item indicates violation of the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. The news item raises substantial issues relating to compliance with the environmental norms and implementation of the provisions of scheduled enactment. "
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Air India Express plane suffers bird hit before take-off at Pune airport
Pune: Around 140 passengers of an Air India Express' Pune-Bhubaneswar flight (IX-1098) on Wednesday afternoon had a close shave as the aircraft aborted take-off because of a bird hit after it started rolling on the runway. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Mohammad Nadeem, the passenger on seat number 22D of the plane, told TOI, "Flames started coming out of the engine after it gained speed. Right after that, the pilot hit the brakes and the aircraft came to a screeching halt. The brakes were hit so hard that some passengers' cellphones were thrown off and a child almost fell from a woman's arms." He said the aircraft rolled on the runway for approximately 15-20 seconds before coming to a screeching halt. The runway length of the Pune airport is 2,535 metres (8,316 feet). Aviation experts told TOI that the average peak speed of aircraft like Airbus A320 before the take-off is 250-300 kmph. "The speed of the aircraft is always decided by the pilot. There are three kinds of speeds — V1 (decision speed), VR (rotation speed) and V2 (take-off safety speed). V1 is the maximum speed limit at which a pilot can safely abort take-off in case of an emergency. After the V1 limit, the take-off must be continued. The speed depends on factors like weather and load factor. The safety of the runway in Pune is the sole responsibility of the Indian Air Force," aviation expert Dhairyashil Vandekar said. Last month, a bird hit was detected on an Air India's Delhi-Pune plane after it landed at the city airport. In June, an Air India Express flight from Bhubaneswar had to abort landing and make a go-around after its pilot spotted a dog on the runway. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Nadeem, booked on the Air India' Pune-Bhubaneswar flight, said there was no announcement for around 5-10 minutes after the plane stopped on Wednesday afternoon. "Thereafter, the pilot told flyers about the incident over the PA (public address) system. He said one of the engines suffered substantial damage and the aircraft wouldn't fly. After some time, the plane returned to the bay. We were disembarked and taken back to the terminal building," he said. TOI contacted the airline's spokesperson over the phone and sent him a WhatsApp message enquiring about the incident. But a reply was awaited till going to press. A source in the airport said the right engine of the aircraft, an Airbus A-320, suffered damage. In a video uploaded by Nadeem, the pilot could be heard stating that five blades of the engine suffered damage. The pilot also said a large bird was spotted on the runway and it hit the plane's engine. Nadeem said, "The airline said an alternative aircraft was being arranged for the flyers. I had a connecting flight to Delhi. Now, I will fly there directly from Pune around 1am on Thursday on another flight of the same airline."
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Compensation for cut: Tree plantation in Bastar for losing 100s of trees for chariot
Raipur: In a bid to balance tradition with sustainability, authorities in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region have begun planting saplings annually to compensate for the "hundreds of trees felled" each year to build the towering wooden chariot for the 75-day Bastar Dussehra, one of India's longest and most traditionally significant festivals. State wildlife board members and forest department on the local level have initiated the plantation, taking a cue from Jagannath Puri in Odisha, where thousands of saplings are planted annually to compensate for the timber used in 'Rath Yatra'. Speaking to TOI, Hemant Kashyap, a member of the state wildlife board and an environmentalist said, "For about three chariots, nearly 200 trees are felled in Odisha and the rath committee plants four times the number of saplings, and the wood is sourced only after an 80-year cycle of a tree planted. In Bastar, a single chariot is built - the four-wheeled 'Phool Rath' initially which later turns into eight-wheeled called 'Vijay Rath' — requiring felling of nearly 150 mature sal trees, many over a hundred years old. The Forest Department supplies this wood to the Bastar Dussehra Committee." "We have been demanding compensatory plantations for years. It shouldn't just continue in the name of tradition by planting few samplings. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like TV providers are furious: this gadget gives you access to all channels Techno Mag Learn More Undo Sal trees take a several years to mature, he added. Jagdalpur chief conservator of forest R C Dugga told TOI that the number of trees to be felled depends on the size of logs required and usually they are less in numbers as claimed. By and large 80 huge logs are required for the chariot in Bastar Dussehra, he said. "Since the concern of annual felling of sal trees was considerable, our forest department team with local villagers and Dussehra committee jointly decided to plant saplings every year. There's a village called Nakti Semra near Jagdalpur, where the panchayat has provided an empty land and with own arrangements, we availed 250-300 saplings for plantation along with basic resources," CCF said. He added that the Bastar Dussehra committee representatives including 'manjhi, chalki' rank people who come from different villages, participate in plantation drive. We provide fencing and protection, he said, adding that to ensure proper care and maintenance, a formal initiative can be taken ahead. However, Kashyap urged for sal-specific replantation, stating that a mix of tree species is being planted instead. Moreover, while the best time for plantation is the monsoon, saplings are usually planted post-festival by tribal priests and traditional functionaries, often at the same spots where trees were felled, such as Markel, about 20 kms from Jagdalpur and Semra villages. Environmentalists emphasized that the chariot is crafted entirely through traditional methods — cut, carved, and shaped by hand without any machinery. This results in significant wood waste, which is later sold off or auctioned. Officials said that adequate funds can be allocated for structured ecological compensation for plantation.
