Going against PM's 'Vocal For Local' call, Post Office's Cachar division abolishing over 100 posts

Not one, not two but more than 100 posts in Post Office’s Cachar division have been proposed for abolition. Few have already been abolished and few are on the verge of diminishing. Post Office might have lost its relevance for the rich living in airconditioned houses. But in semi-urban and rural areas, it still plays a major role in delivering posts. In fact, the lockdowns have shown the nation why the Post Office is still a saviour as all major private courier services remained shut while Postman in India Post’s uniform delivered letters and government documents.

A government-operated postal system in India, which is a subsidiary of the Ministry of Communications, India Post is the most widely distributed postal system in the world.

Close to 30,000 youth have returned to Cachar since Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced what economists across the world call “strictest lockdowns”. The reverse migration of youth in the entire Barak Valley is above 45,000. While a few of them are “working from home” the majority have been forced out of employment and their families are slipping below the poverty line.

The bill of the lavish lockdown is public. The country has released its data which shows the GDP has contracted by 23.9 per cent in the April – June quarter when compared with the first quarter of the previous fiscal. To get the nation back on a “growth trajectory” the Prime Minister has called for “Atmanirbharta” and asked people of the largest democracy to be “Vocal For Local”. Economists appreciated PM Modi’s nudge to the nation. However, shouldn’t the government offices walk the talk?

Many of these 45,000 youth will not travel back any time soon as the shop they were washing dishes or serving food has no customer. The owners have kept it shut. The youth who were working as security guards in Bangalore and Pune and Mumbai will not go back as the malls are deserted and the cinema halls are not allowed to open. Many of these 45,000 worked in the tourism sector, drove radio cabs, delivered food riding for Swiggy or Zomato. They will have to stay back and it is certain that their debts will rise and many will go bankrupt unless the government creates some local employment opportunities.

One major employer in Barak Valley, India Post is doing otherwise. If sources are to be believed then, Arun Sarkar, superintendent of Post Offices in Cachar Division has cleared the abolition of posts that were kept in abeyance for long. Sarkar, while speaking with Barak Bulletin said, “In this issue of abolition of posts, I would not like to make any comments.” Despite asking repeatedly, Sarkar refused to share any details.

Barak Bulletin has sourced a few letters issued by Sarkar which shows huge abolition of posts. On June 26, 2020, he issued a letter stating the abolition of 26 posts in PA Cadre. Later, on July 24, 2020, Sarkar issued another order announcing the abolition of 16 posts under PA Cadre, 38 under postman cadre, and 1 under multi-tasking staff cadre. When asked about these abolitions, Sarkar said K. Siva Shankar, Asstt. Director, O/o the CPMG, Assam Circle, Guwahati is the right person to comment on this. The assistant director did not respond to any of our messages nor did he answer the calls.

It is stated in Arun Sarkar’s orders that he is taking the decision as per directives issued in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2016 and 2017. So, what his predecessors kept on hold for decades, he has decided to clear. “We fought to save the posts from abolition,” said one of his predecessors who wished not to be named. “See, many of these posts were vacant, but as those were sanctioned posts we could hire people on a contractual basis and that became a source of earning for the locals,” the predecessor added.

Another former superintendent during whose tenure the directive to abolish posts was issued said, “We were clear that India Post needs to shut certain post offices for us to allow these abolitions. The higher authorities did not shut any post offices nor were we asked to abolish the posts. You need to defend these posts in order to save them or else, it is obvious that the government will rationalise the resources.”

The Workers’ Union got in touch with Arun Sarkar to keep these abolitions in abeyance and if sources are to be believed he agreed. “We felt backstabbed when we read the orders,” said a member of the Union’s Silchar Division. Nobody was willing to talk on the record about these abolitions. “Since this issue relates to the higher level, the Union’s Guwahati unit is only authorised to comment on this,” said a senior member of the Union. He added, “The fight will go on as there are more posts up for abolition.”

The ‘Household Survey on India’s Citizen Environment & Consumer Economy’ (ICE 360° survey) done in 2016 found out that four out of 10 households depend on the earning of a single member in the family. The average family size in Assam is 5.5. India Post abolishing 139 posts could directly takeaway the surviving opportunity of about a thousand people.

“Given the track record of Barak Valley especially after what happened with the Paper Mill and what is happening with Doordarshan Kendra, it is obvious that the posts once abolished will hardly ever return,” opined a professor in Barak Valley. “But will anyone speak up to save these jobs in public organisations?” the professor concluded with a question.