Upgradation: Postal dept to ditch cloth packaging of parcels

kolkata: The West Bengal circle of Department of Posts will opt for standardisation in parcel packaging by discarding the old system of cloth packaging, which has become obsolete in present times.

"Parcel packaging with cloth cannot be considered standard as it not tamper-proof. We have already started parcel packaging centre at four post offices in the city, where best practices of packaging are being followed. We have identified another 43 post offices based on the footfall of customers, where we will develop similar infrastructure for modern packaging,"J Charukesi,Chief Postmaster General (PMG), West Bengal circle said.

Presently, four post offices namely Park Street, Burrabazar,General Post Office(GPO) and Howrah have parcel packaging centres.

According to a senior official in the Bengal circle, the corporate sector never uses cloth packaging for delivery of articles. "It is high time that we also switch over to state-of-the-art packaging to keep in pace with the present scenario," added the official.

Polythene, bubble wrap and corrugated sheet are being used for packaging. There are about 3 to 4 boxes of different sizes based upon the weight of consignment being used for packaging.

The Bengal circle will be creating awareness about the best practices in parcel packaging during National Postal Week, which is being celebrated from October 9 to13.

The Bengal circle will soon launch 'Know Your Postman' app through which customers can contact the postmen directly and know the delivery status of an article. The app will also come handy for transactions related to IPPB (India Posts Payment Bank).

Chief PMG (West Bengal) informed that the service will be available in all the four divisions in Kolkata namely central, east, north and south and also in Howrah.

The West Bengal circle has opened about 16 lakh

accounts, including 3,285,56 savings accounts during this financial year.