'Postal System to match the 21st century' in Sri Lanka
The Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Nimal Siripala de Silva said that the objective of the Government was to establish a postal system which would meet the needs of the 21st century and carry out efficient and attractive services to take the people through shifting all Post Offices and Sub Post Offices in the country which were in rental houses to their own places and they were provided with modern facilities such as telephone, fax, e-mail, telemail, internet etc., and starting "postal shops" which provide services like stationery, photocopy in addition to postal service.
The Minister said so after laying foundation stones to Post Offices of Devanampiyatissapura and Ipalogama, Anuradhapura district in the North Central Province and Wellavaya, Monaragala District and Ambagasdowa and Badulla district of Uva Province.
There are 40 Post Offices, 271 Sub Post Offices and 08 Agency Post Offices in the North Central Province. Out of these 27 Post Offices, 182 Sub Post Offices and 05 Agency Post Offices are situated in Anuradhapura district.
There are 43 Post Offices, 258 Sub Post Offices and 10 Agency Post Offices in Uva Province and 27 Post Offices, 185 Sub Post Offices and 08 Agency Post Offices in Badulla district.
The Department of Posts states that there are 16 Post Offices, 71 Sub Post Offices and 02 Agency Post Offices in Monaragala district.
The Sub Post Office of Devanampiyatissapura, Anuradhapura district, North Central Province has been closed for many years since its opening at Gam Udawa season for a short period of time and it has been re-opened by Nimal Siripala de Silva, Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, recently.
The Post Office of Ipalogama, which was kept in a rental house for a long time, has been shifted into a charming building constructed costing Rs. 4.9 million. This Post Office has been provided with all modern facilities and it co-ordinates all postal activities of Kekirawa, Kalawewa and Mihintale electorates. The Post Office of Wellawaya has been kept up to now in a very old building constructed in 1929 and it has shifted into a charming building situated in the centre of the city. It has cost Rs. 8 million to construct this building. Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva, laid the foundation stone to construct a modern Post Office at Ambagasdowa at Uva Paranagama, Badulla district.
Construction work on this building is to be completed within the coming 06 months and it is expected to cost about Rs. 4 million for the construction. Presently the Post Office of Ambagasdowa is situated at a rental house.
Minister, Nimal Siripala de Silva, stated in his address after the opening of the Post Offices, "My and our Ministries attention has been drawn to the areas where the postal goods are not delivered. We have started a census to identify the newly populated areas and we wish to complete this census within the coming 04 or 05 months.
By then it would be able to deliver mail bags, identify the places where mail are not delivered and deliver letters to relevant personnel safely and immediately. With the modernisation of our Post Offices we wish to make our Postal Service to match with the 21st century by making efficient and productive service, being established new administration and management structure in the Postal Service."
Berty Premalal Dissanayake, Chief Minister of North Central Province, Jagath Pushpakumara, SLFP organiser of Wellawaya, A. M. Buddhadasa, Minister of Uva Province, Saman Ediriweera, Secretary to the Ministry, W. M. Piyasena, PMG and D. M. Dharmadasa, DPMG of Uva Province also participated on this occasion.
