Blitz Bureau
The Postal Department has decided to merge Speed Post and Registered Post services, starting September 1, to streamline operations and improve efficiency.
The decision was made to consolidate multiplicity of postal services and mail processing, standardise delivery services, and reduce operational costs. The merger would also help better customer experience with faster delivery, said officials of the department.
Till August 30, India Post will offer both Registered Post and Speed Post services to general public. Registered Post is mainly considered for secure delivery and Speed Post for time-bound delivery.
The circular said, “In light of the upcoming operational integration, it is imperative that all concerned directorates and divisions undertake a comprehensive review of their existing administrative instructions, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), functional orders, workflow documents, technical manuals, training content and any other documents where references to Registered Posts or Registered Post with Acknowledgment Due, exist.”
What will change after September 1?
The Registered Post label will be phased out for domestic mail from September 1. All such services will now fall under the “Speed Post” umbrella, which already offers faster delivery and better tracking.
According to The Hindu, “The proof of delivery and addressee-specific delivery feature would be offered as a value-added feature. The cost of the merged product is being worked out.”
Both Speed Post and Registered Post do the same job of delivering items. However, Speed Post is usually used to deliver something at a fastest speed possible. On the other hand, a Registered Post is used to ensure that items or letters are delivered safely with proper proof.
Individuals earlier using Registered Post for delivery, from September 1, need to ask the India Post officials about the proof they can get if they use Speed Post services for delivery. This is because Registered Post used to allow traceability for parcels delivered. It required a recipient’s signature as proof of receipt upon delivery.
What is Speed Post?
Speed Post provides express and time-bound delivery of letters and parcels weighing up to 35 kg in India. It is an affordable service and delivers across the country Rs 35 and local Rs 15 for consignments up to 50 gram.
Tariff is exclusive of taxes as notified by the Central Government from time to time.
Proof of delivery charges are Rs 10 per article in addition to Speed Post charges.
In a state like Tamil Nadu, the postal circle handled nearly 11.84 crore Speed and Registered Posts in the last fiscal. As the first step towards the merger and restructuring of mail operations, the circle has started establishing integrated mail processing centres. For instance, in Chennai alone, there are 14 mail processing offices for different posts.
The department is identifying a site to establish an integrated mail processing centre, which would use automated systems to sort and dispatch mails, and reduce operational costs. The project is likely to begin later this year.
Small post offices would be merged into independent delivery offices to enable flexible delivery time according to customers’ convenience.