CHENNAI, October 4, 2014
Don’t be
surprised if your neighbourhood postman delivers products you have ordered
online, along with letters.
The department of posts has recently tied up with various online
shopping portals to offer delivery services.
With e-commerce growing by leaps and bounds, the postal
department, which has a widespread reach, particularly in rural areas, will
bridge the gap in logistics.
The department has tied up with major e-commerce players,
including Amazon, Flipkart, Shopping Zone India and Naaptol, to help ramp up
their delivery system.
“We are also in the process of tying up with smaller online
players. We are delivering more than 80 per cent of the products ordered online
to customers across the State on behalf of some e-commerce firms,” said an
official.
A tie-up with another major online market firm, Snapdeal, is
also under way. Soon, customers need not necessarily visit the nearest
philatelic bureau to buy stamps as Snapdeal will also offer philatelic stamps
and first covers of the postal department.
In Chennai and its suburbs, nearly 2,300 postmen, postwomen and
gram dak sevaks (who are part-time staff members) attached to 110 post offices
will be involved in delivering goods through various modes, including
cash-on-delivery.
T. Murthy, chief postmaster general, Tamil Nadu circle, said:
“We have set up a dedicated parcel-handling unit in Ekkaduthangal where the
products are sorted and dispatched to various places. We have the capacity to
handle over 40,000 parcels daily.”
The department now handles nearly 28,000 parcels daily and
delivers across the State. Of these, about 30 per cent is delivered in and
around Chennai.
“We deliver in a day from the date of booking, in Chennai, and
in a maximum of four days in remote areas. We are processing the requests of
many other e-commerce firms too,” said Mr. Murthy.
//The Hindu//
