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        Several post offices all over Chennai are either on the brink of closure or a merger, the reason being shortage of manpower.

        Making no bones about this is senior Superintendent of Post Offices (south) N N Vedi, who told News Today that post offices were understaffed, however, he said strengthening of manpower and upgradation were restricted to the level of Post Master General.

        On merger mode are the post offices located in the airport area. The post offices are being merged with the Meenambakkam post office.

        A post office employee who retired in 1986 is N Krishnamachari. He said post offices were overburdened, hence the decision on closure or merger. The post office on Race Course Road, Guindy, was closed. And recently the post office on Chamiers Road met with the same fate and the members of the public were asked to contact Teynampet office. Upgradation of post offices or staff strengthening and good stamp sales as well were yardstick for a post office's performance, not the transactions done.

        Other reasons that were the cause of shutting down post offices were the problem related to offices functioning on rented property.

        Besides, post offices had been forced to do what other departments had been doing, such as accepting Small Savings. This operation actually is more than just a bank job and the post offices do not get additional remuneration. At the same time, post offices do transactions in Savings Bank, Permanent Provident Fund, National Savings Certificate, Kisan Vikas Patra and others on behalf of the Finance Ministry in a honorary manner, pointed out Krishnamachari.

        As if that were not enough, private courier companies eat into the profits of post offices merely because the former do mailing jobs in violations of PO Act. In addition, the post offices are entrusted with the job of collecting telephone bills. A stark example, one can cite, is the post office on 6th Main Road, Nanganallur, which has a telephone exchange and various other public utility service.

        Why are the post offices entrusted with sundry jobs as a result of which its prime work is falling out of its purview - a question that begs for an immediate answer.