Ministry to minimise loss, operate customer-friendly service:

Postal Dept moves out of traditional services

By Mohammed Naalir

The second phase of the post office networking program is under way to improve the facilities in post offices.

Under this program 200 main post offices will be networked. It will attract customers to the Postal Department. The Postal Department will turn into a main telecommunication service provider after the completion of the networking, Postal Services Minister Jeevan Kumaranatunga said.

The Government has allocated sufficient funds to implement the second phase of the networking program. Depending solely on traditional services is the main cause for the setback of the postal services, Minister Kumaranatunga said. Two hundred and fifty officers, including instructors in Postal Training Institutions were trained last year to implement the second phase of the program, the Minister said.

An awareness program on post office networking was also conducted for district administrative officers, regional postal superintendents and 100 chief post masters at the Postal Management Training College.

Minister Kumaranatunga and Deputy Minister V. Muralitharan at the opening of Mandur Post Office

At the First Day cover and stamp launch to mark the 65th National Film Day

Minister Jeevan Kumaranatunga presents a class one appointment to an executive range officer

The training programs were conducted at the Postal Training Institutions in Wellawatta, Jaffna, Thambuttegama, Kandy, Batticaloa, Galle and Badulla.

Under the first phase of the program Nittambuwa, Mt. Lavinia, Moratuwa, Kalutara, Anuradhapura, Kurunegala, Badulla, Galle, Balangoda, Piliyandala, Chilaw and the Central Mail Exchange were networked. Services such as utility bill payments, mail tracking system, address verification services, demand payment, e-money-order, delivery notification or mail holding, e to postal and postal to e mail service and mail forwarding services are now available at these post offices. The services will be further improved, Minister Kumaranatuga said.

This year the Ministry plans to minimise loss and provide more profitable services and operate a customer friendly service. Services will be expanded on par with the global trends, employing modern technology, the Minister said.

"Last year we introduced a program to modernise the post offices to solve the problems that prevailed in the Postal Department" he said.

The Postal Services Ministry launched the networking program of post offices with the help of the University of Moratuwa. The facilities of Central Postal Exchange have also been improved. The networking of regional post offices will follow the completion of networking the main post offices.

The Postal Services Ministry has taken steps to issue standardised stamps targeting the international market to earn foreign remittances, Ministry sources said. Minister Kumaranatunga reiterated the necessity to modernise the Postal Department if the global challenge in the telecommunication market is to be met. If it is confined to traditional services the Postal Department will meet a natural death.

A committee has also been appointed to determine charges for services and take necessary action, Postal Services Ministry Secretary Hemasiri Fernando said.

The Philatelic Bureau issued a series of stamps last year. Accordingly a stamp worth 50 cents printed with a moonstone of the Kandy Vishnu Temple, a one rupee stamp depicting a moonstone of the Polonnaruwa Watadage, a 2 rupee stamp with a moonstone of the Beligalla Raja Maha Viharaya, a 3 rupee stamp with a moonstone of the Anuradhapura Abayagiri Viharaya, a 4 rupee stamp with a guard-stone (Muragala) of the Anuradhapura Jethawana Viharaya, a Rs. 4.50 stamp with the guardstone of the Arattana Raja Maha Viharaya, a 12 rupee stamp with the guardstone of the Abhayagiri Stupa Anuradhapura, a 15 rupee stamp with a guardstone of the Buttala Rajamaha Viharaya, a 10 rupee stamp depicting the Ratnaprasadha Muragala Anuradhapura Abhayagiri, a 5 rupee stamp with the Thissamaharama Muragala, a 20 rupee stamp with the Balustrade of Anuradhapura Maha Viharaya, a 25 rupee stamp with the Balustrade of Polonnaruwa Lankatilake Viharaya, a 30 rupee stamp with the Balustrade of Anuradhapura Jethawana Viharaya, a 40 rupee stamp with the Balustrade of Anuradhapura Maha Viharaya, a 55 rupee stamp with the Balustrade of Anuradhapura Maha Viharaya and a 75 rupee stamp with the Gajasinhe Balustrade Yapahuwa were issued last year. The Postal Services Ministry purchased 40 computers, 40 printers and 40 UPS units required to implement the first phase of the post office networking program at a cost of Rs. 4,622,000, Fernando said.

He said 550 computers, 410 dot-matrix printers, 143 laser printers, 550 UPS units and 550 virus guards worth Rs. 79,401,550 are being distributed to post offices to implement the second phase of networking. The 313 bar code readers worth Rs. 3,900,412 also purchased by the Postal Services Ministry for Rs. 334 million has been allocated by the Government for the purchase of hardware items, WAN connectivity, data solution, connectivity and hardware maintenance, computer stationery, project staffing and to conduct training programs.

Plans are afoot to print high quality stamps preserving the philatelic value. The issue of stamps will comprise annual issuance, national heroes, events of national importance, national heritages of Sri Lanka, international events, culture, nature, wildlife, other events and issuing stamps outside the annual stamp program, the Secretary said. Facilities at philatelic counters at post offices have also been improved to increase the sale of stamps.

The Postal Services Ministry plans to amend the stamp policy to solve problems encountered in enforcement. Measures will also be taken to improve the efficiency of the Philatelic Bureau, Fernando said.

The Postal Services Ministry has taken steps to conduct two workshops for the entire staff of the Postal Department. The Ministry conducted workshops for staff officers, development assistants, management assistants and drivers. Altogether 42 employees were trained under the said categories, he said.

The Ministry plans to make its contribution to the Deyata Kirula national development exhibition 2013 in Ampara.

"Our aim is not to earn income, but to bring the Department to a break-even point without becoming a burden to the Treasury and the Government. The Postal Department has introduced services to achieve this goal. Profit could be increased after the introduction of the proposed services at post offices", Fernando said.

The Government reconstructed the post offices destroyed during the conflict period at a cost of Rs. 26.61 million in the Vavuniya, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Mannar and Jaffna distric Uthuru Wasanthaya program.

The Government has provided Rs. 41.16 million worth equipments and machineries to post offices in the North.

It has implemented various postal sector improvement programs in the North and East under the Idhiri Dekma program of Mahinda Chinthanaya, Jathika Saviya, Neganahira Navodhaya, Uthuru Wasanthaya and Gama Neguma. A large number of vans and bicycles have been sent to the North and East for postal delivery service, the Secretary said.