Allow door delivery of articles by Postal Department, resident welfare associations told

The GHMC Commissioner RV Karnan appeal comes in the wake of the Telangana Postal Department complaining about the postmen being frequently denied access or facing unwarranted restrictions while attempting to deliver postal articles in high-rise apartments, gated communities, and multi-storied buildings

Hyderabad: The GHMC Commissioner, RV Karnan, has urged the Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) to allow the postmen for door delivery of postal articles like letters, speed post, parcels and other articles.

The appeal came in the wake of the Telangana Postal Department complaining about the postmen being frequently denied access or facing unwarranted restrictions while attempting to deliver postal articles in high-rise apartments, gated communities, and multi-storied buildings.

The Postmaster General (PMG), Headquarters Region, Hyderabad, has recently communicated to the GHMC Commissioner that postmen and other delivery staff were facing difficulty in door delivery of letters like Passports, Driving Licenses, Aadhaar cards, domestic and international parcels from e-commerce, institutions and retail channels. The delivery staff often faced situations like denial of access by the security personnel, restriction from using passenger lifts, and being told to leave delivery vehicles unattended due to a lack of designated parking spaces.

In response, Karnan has instructed the Zonal and Deputy Commissioners to ensure the RWAs allow access to postmen for doorstep delivery, use the passenger lifts without any discrimination and provide safe and designated parking spaces for delivery vehicles.

The RWAs must install and maintain approved letterboxes as mandated under the Post Office Act, 2023, the PMG said and added that all the postmen and delivery staff were trained to deliver letters and parcels door-to-door using mobile phones and updated GPS coordinates for delivery confirmation. The addressees are requested to provide written authorisation to the postman in case of their non-availability, for future deliveries to their authorised representatives.

“Obstructing a government servant from performing official duties is a punishable offence under Section 221 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and necessary legal action may be initiated in cases of continued non-compliance,” the GHMC Commissioner pointed out.