Post offices struggle to cope with rush

HYDERABAD, November 11, 2016

SENIOR CITIZENS STOOD PATIENTLY IN LONG QUEUES, AWAITING THEIR TURN

Personnel at post offices across the twin cities struggled to handle the increased rush of account holders who thronged counters to change their notes of the denomination of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 that were demonetised.

Anxiety was writ large on the faces of most of the pensioners and other middle-aged persons who prefer post offices to the new age banks. Their minds were full of the thoughts about the way the high denomination notes with them were rendered of no value unless they were exchanged with either less notes or the new Rs. 2,000 notes that came into circulation from Thursday.

At the Head Post Office in Secunderabad as well in Hyderabad - both places that are usually very busy during working hours, the rush was considering higher as they opened for business on Thursday morning, after operations were shut on Wednesday.

“No matter what kind of services or how well they are offered by banks, I can tell you that a post office is the preferred option of pensioners, especially those who have worked with Government agencies,” said Mr. Krishnaswamy, a former employee in a defence agency.

Ditto is the case with a couple who retired from the Postal department itself - Kanthamani and Kuppuswamy who moved from Tamil Nadu to settle down in the City of Pearls.

Together with scores of others, these senior citizens stood patiently in long queues, awaiting their turn. Officials were reluctant to even meet presspersons, leave alone answer questions about the number of transactions that had taken place from Thursday morning, or their volumes.

“We cannot afford to lose our cool, especially because we deal everyday with people who are much older than ones you will find in a bank branch,” said Saraswathi, a senior clerk, as she patiently went about her job, even as other colleagues around her were seen getting irritated.

Source : http://www.thehindu.com