HAMIRPUR: In a major case of negligence, the postal department has suspended a rural branch postman in Himachal Pradesh’s Hamirpur district after nearly 800 undelivered mail items-accumulated over two months-were recovered from his rented room.
The recovered items include crucial documents such as job call letters, Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, ATM cards, and other official government correspondence.
The incident came to light at the Karot branch post office, functioning under the Bhaleht sub-post office in Hamirpur. The accused postman, identified as Sahil, a native of Haryana, was responsible for delivering mail across approximately 20 villages in the region.
The action followed multiple complaints from local residents regarding delayed or missing mail. Taking note of the grievances, a postal inspector conducted an inspection of the branch on July 16. During the check, official records showed several mail items marked as “on hold.”
However, when officials contacted the intended recipients over the phone, many reported that they had never received their documents. A few residents mentioned receiving mail, but noted that their acknowledgment signatures were never taken.
Prompted by these discrepancies, officials searched the postman’s rented room and discovered a massive pile of undelivered post. Investigations revealed that the employee would collect mail from the post office, deliver it to only a few people, and dump the remaining items in his room.
Senior Superintendent of Postal Services (Hamirpur Division) KS Chauhan confirmed the development, stating that 200 registered letters and 600 ordinary mail items accumulated over two months were recovered from the room.
The department has placed the employee under immediate suspension and launched a special drive to ensure all recovered mail is delivered to the respective recipients at the earliest.
