Pakistan – Increase in postal charges
As if the ever-rising prices of the essential items of
food, life saving drugs, higher charges for telephone calls, gas and
electricity power were not enough to add to the miseries of the
public, the postal department has now abruptly enhanced the postal
rates for the surface, air mail, registered letters, parcels, UMS,
money orders and the book post material. The increase is arbitrary and
unprecedented.
With the expanded use of electronic services like e-mail and
internet and courier services by our well-to-do people, it is only
the less privileged, who largely use postal services for exchange of
their ‘joys’ and ‘sorrows’ with their kins at the far-flung places
as it was affordable. According to a source, postal department in
the United States is suffering a loss of over 2 million dollars. But
they have not raised the postal rates, as it is considered to be
essentially, a public welfare service. What a consideration? Our post
offices are noted for their vagaries. They are blamed for
pilferage of money-orders, parcels go astray, foreign mail, is
tempered, with and valuable material is removed, magazines and
calendars do not reach their destinations. The present increase in
our postal charges is undoubtedly exorbitant for the poor and needs
immediate reconsideration. The post office employees are admittedly low
paid. But there are
ways and means to improve their lot, without taking recourse to
increasing the postal rates so sky-high. The education of their
children of school going age should be subsidised or made free to a
certain standard. The employees should be provided better housing
and medical facilities. The sons of the retired/pensioners from the
postal department should be given option to join the department, if
they like. This will make the post office services more attractive
and the lower staff work more honestly and diligently.–M. Shafique
Ahmed (Karachi, Pakistan)
Copyright 2001 Business Recorder. Source : World Reporter (Trade
Mark)BUSINESS RECORDER, 19th April 2001
