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World Post Day: Braving pandemic, postal workers emerge as Covid-19 warriors

Hindustan Times | ByMallika Bhagat, New Delhi
Oct 08, 2020 02:22 PM IST

On World Post Day (October 9) and National Postal Day of India (October 10), here’s bringing you how postal staff has been working round the clock to ensure distribution of everything right from testing kits to medicines and money.

In sunshine and in rain, the postal workers brace the weather and numerous other hurdles to deliver letters all year round. Amid the pandemic when life suddenly became locked down, the postal service personnels donned various hats, helping everyone fight back the disease. Right from the distribution of testing kits to delivery of medicines and money, postal employees in India have been providing these all, emerging as corona warriors who continued to work in the face of adverse conditions. On World Post Day (October 9) and National Postal Day of India (October 10), here’s bringing you action from behind the post counters.

Postal workers have been working non-stop during the pandemic, to ensure that medicines, medical reports etc reach their destination on time.(Photo: Twitter/IndiaPost)
Postal workers have been working non-stop during the pandemic, to ensure that medicines, medical reports etc reach their destination on time.(Photo: Twitter/IndiaPost)

“We restarted our operations in April, with staggered timings and shifts, so that the transport of letters, urgent medicines was not hampered,” says Ashok Kumar, assistant superintendent of postal services in Chanakyapuri Post Office. Kumar, who has been a postal department employee for almost four decades, adds, “We made arrangements for safety equipment for all our employees, including gloves, masks, sanitisers. People worked in shifts; if extra work was needed to dispatch packages, we put in more time.”

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“Apart from regular deliveries, I also tried to immediately reach people when they would make a request for money at the post office. Iss time pe kisi ko zarurat hai, toh hum chhuti toh nahi le sakte na.”
– Narendra Kumar RC, a postman

The postal staff has also been delivering cash to people, in need, when the latter have been unable to access banks due to the pandemic. To accomplish providing money to people at their doorsteps, some like Delhi-based postman Narendra Kumar RC have been working without any leaves, all this while. “Apart from regular deliveries, I also tried to immediately reach people when they would make a request for money at the post office. Iss time pe kisi ko zarurat hai, toh hum chhuti toh nahi le sakte na,” says Kumar, who has been a postman for 34 years. His memory goes back to the time when he joined the profession to see people happy when they receive their letters, and he adds, “In my locality, there were people who asked me to help them with money from the post office, and I did it. Humne ye job logon ki madad karne ke liye li thi, toh yeh toh humara farz hai.”

Postal staff has also helped distribute money to the needy, during the time when they couldn’t got to the bank due to the pandemic. (PHOTO: Twitter/ IndiaPost)
Postal staff has also helped distribute money to the needy, during the time when they couldn’t got to the bank due to the pandemic. (PHOTO: Twitter/ IndiaPost)

Lakhs of postal workers around the country, like Kumar, have been instrumental in keeping the postal services running during these difficult times. Vijay Kumar, who works at RK Puram main post office, describes how delivery of medicines has taken priority over the time. “Usually, once we receive packages we take time to set them in order citywise, for cumulative dispatch. But, during the time of Covid-19, we have started making instant dispatches of medicines pan India,” he says. When asked if he became concerned about his personal safety at any point, Kumar says, “Of course, there was a fear! But, we took all precautions, worked over time, and sometimes even with just 50% personnel capacity, so that the work doesn’t suffer.” Isn’t that the spirit of being a warrior?

Author tweets @bhagat_mallika

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