Senior citizens struggle to access head post office in Arakkonam

Senior citizens and women struggle with accessibility at cramped Arakkonam Head Post Office, prompting calls for reconstruction.

Senior citizens and women face difficulties accessing the Arakkonam Head Post Office, which is currently located in a cramped first-floor space within a rented building.

Most of the customer related desks, including registered posts and savings account section, were operated at the ground floor of the facility in the old premises. “In the new rented building, the HPO operates on the first floor in a cramped space. Due to the rush, many people have to wait for long hours at the post office,” said S. Parvathi, a resident.

The HPO in Arakkonam covers three sub-divisional post offices in Arakkonam, Ranipet and Walajah towns. Besides, it also supervises the functioning of 45 sub-post offices and 142 branch offices within its limits in Ranipet district.

Earlier, the HPO was functioning at a spacious 10,000 sq.ft own building since its formation. The office included a sub-divisional office (Arakkonam), superintendent office and a large storeroom with a workforce of over 50 staff. It had civic amenities for visitors including seating arrangements, water and washroom facilities.

Over the years, the permanent building became weak. Cracks and seepage in the building were reported. In 2020, the HPO was relocated to its existing rented building, covering around 1,500 sq.ft.

The rented building has only the head post office while other sections including superintendent office, storeroom and sub-divisional office were relocated. These offices function in rented buildings separately in the town. A monthly rent of ₹80,000 is paid by India Posts for these offices.  “We have sent a proposal for reconstruction of a permanent building in old premises to the Regional Office in Chennai. We are awaiting response on it,” said an official.