The neighbourhood postman, who was the most welcome visitor once upon a time, is facing accessibility issues in the era of gated communities and secluded townships.

The issue was highlighted by the office of the Post Master General of the Telangana Circle to the Commissioner of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Commissioner, who urged him to take action for unhindered access for the postmen to the urban citadels.

Postmen and delivery staff in the GHMC area are facing difficulty in giving door delivery of letters, and documents such as passports, driving licences, Aadhaar cards, and domestic and international parcels from e-Commerce, institutions and retail channels in gated communities, high-rise apartments, and multi-storeyed buildings. This situation is resulting in increased public grievances.

Denial of access by the security personnel, restrictions from using passenger lifts, and lack of designated parking space were a few issues which are resulting in delays in delivery, it was revealed.

Responding to this, the GHMC Commissioner has issued instructions to the Zonal Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners to scrupulously ensure hassle-free delivery channel for the postal department personnel.

The instructions mandate that the Resident Welfare Associations (RWA) should allow unrestricted access to postmen for doorstep delivery. Use of passenger lifts must be permitted without any discrimination. Safe and designated parking spaces must be provided for delivery vehicles, and the RWAs must install and maintain approved letter boxes as mandated under the Post Office Act, 2023.

The Department of Posts, through a press release, said that all the postmen and delivery staff are trained to door deliver letters and parcels using mobile phones and update GPS coordinates for delivery confirmation. It also urged that the addressees, in case of their non-availability, to provide written authorisation to the postmen for future deliveries to their authorised representatives.

In case of any delivery related issues, residents may locate their correct delivery Pincode using the ‘Know Your Pincode’ service and reach out directly to the postmaster concerned. They can also use other public grievance channels such as the online portal ‘https://crm.indiapost.gov.in/customer/home’, toll-free helpline 18002666868, or official social media platforms of India Post.