Server issues in rural post offices disrupt services for 3 days

Kundapur: The postal department has implemented several useful initiatives using modern technology to provide fast services to the public. While services have improved significantly, some problems seem never-ending.

For the past three days, rural post offices have been facing server issues, preventing proper services from reaching the public. The problem has affected all 201 offices in the Udupi division and over 450 rural post offices in the Dakshina Kannada district. This has caused difficulties in cash payments and withdrawals. Many people visiting the offices had to return without completing their work due to server problems.

Due to inadequate attention from the administration to fix the server over the past 3–4 days, services have become completely disrupted. Citizens have expressed frustration as the server remains non-functional even after waiting for hours, according to a customer from the Kundapur area.

Operational delays:

Post offices are open from 9 am to 2 pm, a total of 5 hours daily. However, since morning, the servers are very slow or non-functional, and no work can be completed. By afternoon, even if the servers work, offices close, making it impossible to carry out tasks, said a rural postmaster from Kundapur.

Leave rules add to confusion:

A new unannounced rule requires rural postmasters and assistant postmasters to handle 5 postal accounts each before taking urgent leave, causing additional complaints. Naganjaneyalu, Udupi postal inspector, clarified that while yearly targets exist, leave is not related to these targets.

Impact on beneficiaries:

Under government schemes, beneficiaries like the elderly and differently-abled face severe difficulties. Some travel 5–10 km by rickshaw to reach rural post offices, but due to server issues, they often return without receiving funds. Payments for schemes such as Sandhya Suraksha, widow pensions, old-age pensions, Annapurna, and Gruhalakshmi are delayed for beneficiaries in rural offices.

Partial operations:

The servers in rural post offices are not entirely down, but operations are slow. Since the financial year has just ended, some work continues at a slow pace. The postal department has assured that checks will be conducted to identify all affected offices and that the problem will be resolved soon. No targets have been set for opening accounts to obtain leave in rural post offices, said Ramesh Prabhu, Udupi postal department inspector.