Minor disruption reported on day one as protesters briefly blocked vehicles; customers shifted to early hours for bulk bookings while security checks continued at GPO gates
GPO reported timely dispatches despite heavy traffic. PIC/ADITI ALURKAR
With no unforeseen closures over the last four days, mail pickups and deliveries were carried out as usual.
However, the mail service wasn’t free from disruptions. On the first day of the protest, supporters gathered outside the GPO and allegedly stopped a few vehicles.
“While some tried to obstruct our vehicles, other protesters eventually pulled them away and let us go about our job. After that, navigating through traffic has been our only hurdle,” said a source. Following the first day, the staff reported no further obstacles.
“We believe our private bulk bookings may have faced a few difficulties, as customers found it hard to bring in their delivery vehicles. In such cases, many customers chose to arrive very early in the morning to ensure they could enter the GPO,” said Rajan Buchade, deputy director, Mumbai GPO.
Although mail operations continued, the post office deployed regular security staff at its three functioning gates. The team was tasked with verifying the purpose of every entrant’s visit to prevent intrusions. Due to ongoing renovations, the other six gates of the office remained closed.
“The mail pickups are usually scheduled very early in the morning, around 5 am, which is why we faced no problems at that stage. Once the mail is sorted, it is dispatched back to various post offices around 2 pm —that is when traffic caused delays to our vehicles. However, despite the few hours’ delay, all our vehicles reached their destinations,” said Buchade.
According to officials, postal deliveries around CSMT remained uninterrupted since postmen typically travel on foot and did not face road traffic.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
