All India Postal Employees Union, Group-C
(Affiliated to
National Federation of Postal Employees)
Bhubaneswar Divisional Branch
Ashoknagar
Mukhya Dak Ghar, Bhubaneswar – 751 009
No. UN/BN–AIPEU/Gr.-C/05-07/2015
Dated at Bhubaneswar the 10th
July, 2015
To
The Circle
Secretary
All India
Postal Employees Union, Group-C
Odisha
Circle Branch, Bhubaneswar – 751 007
Sub:- Inaction of the service provider with regard
to insufficient bandwidth and slow network connectivity issues
Dear Comrade,
This has a reference to
this union’s endorsement No. UN/BN–AIPEU/Gr.-C/01-06/2015, dated 18.06.2015
with request to take up several issues especially related to CBS Finacle
problems including insufficient bandwidth and slow network connectivity. The
letter has been originally addressed to the SSPOs, Bhubaneswar endorsing copy
to the Circle Union, CHQ and NFPE to take up the issue at appropriate level for
bringing out an immediate solution.
We have been waiting for a
response for more than 50 days. But surprisingly, not a single reply from any
corner has been received till date.
In this context, we would
like to request you to go through the following facts narrated on our practical experience gained as the Postmaster
of a CBS Post Office. Hope, you will find time to read it and think at least to
respond with your action taken report so that the members at grass root level
can be hopeful that the issues are being taken up at higher levels for arriving
at necessary solutions.
Ashoknagar MDG with SOL ID
75100901 and WEG Code 19873 was migrated to CBS platform on 11.05.2015.
The office is
having 9 nodes including the Server out of which Finacle is being operated in 4
nodes ( 2 counters, 1 Supervisor and 1 Postmaster) with NSP 1(BSNL) for 256
Kbps and NSP-2 (Sify) with 128 Kbps. Soon after the migration, the problem of
sluggish connectivity was realized apart from link failure compelling both the
Counter P As and the customers to wait for hours together for finishing the
transaction(s). Within just 3 to 4 days when customers’ dissatisfaction raised
to the maximum, the Postmaster, Ashoknagar MDG started intimating all concerned
viz. SSPOs, Bhubaneswar Division, CPC & DMCC, Odisha Circle and AD (PMU),
CO, Bhubaneswar including Sify’s Help Desk.
With
reference the eMail dated 15.05.2015
of
the Postmaster, Ashoknagar MDG on the above subject, the Asst. Director (PMU), Circle
Office, Bhubaneswar requested the Directorate (DDG, Technology) vide his letter No. PMU/1-5/2012/Ch.I, dated
15.05.2015 to increase the bandwidth of Ashoknagar MDG under
intimation to Sify and N I Support team, Chennai.
But
no improvement was noticed except receipt of an auto-generated report on 15.05.2015
as follows:
“Dear
Customer,
With
reference to your mail, we have raised a Incident ID and providing you
the details below
Incident
No : 112221
Kindly
quote this Incident ID for all your future communication with us for this
request.
Our
technical team is currently working towards ensuring a speedy resolution for
the reported issue.
We will
keep you posted on the progress of the Incident ID through timely
updates.
Assuring
you of our best services at all times”.
Regards,
Ponnambalam.C
SIFY TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED
Ponnambalam.C
SIFY TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED
The staff members of Ashoknagar MDG waited for
more than a month along with verbal/telephonic contacts with CPC and C O (AD,
PMU ) and due to no improvement, they again reminded all concerned on 23.06.2015 and 24.06.2015.
Again on their
reminder dated 23.06.2015, they got
an auto-generated reply as above from Sify Help Desk with a new Incident ID : 123136 with similar
assurances as above that their technical
team is working to ensure a speedy resolution for the reported issue and will
keep posted the progress of the Incident ID through timely update.
The matter
continued without any solution and situation became such that the staff members
of Ashoknagar MDG had to leave office without EoD on 29.06.2015
under
intimation to all concerned through eMail in response to which they again got another
auto-generated reply from Sify Help Desk with new Incident ID : 125141 for the
third time repeating the above assurances
that their technical team is
working to ensure a speedy resolution for the reported issue and will keep posted
the progress of the Incident ID through timely update.
Subsequently
on 30th
June, 2015,
Mr. Anthony from DoP’s Technical Team discussed the fact with the Postmaster,
Ashoknagar MDG and assessed the situation. According to Mr. Anthony, a CBS office needs at least 256 Kbps per node
operating Finacle and 128 Kbps per node operating other internet activities. Ashoknagar
MDG has 9 nodes including the Server out of which 4 nodes are loaded with
Finacle ( Postmaster, Supervisor & 2 counters ) and 1 MPCM, 1 Treasury and
2 for Postman and Despatch. Thus, Ashoknagar MDG needs at least 2 Mbps [( 256 x
4 ) + ( 128 x 5 )].
Soon after
the above discussion, the Postmaster Ashoknagar got an eMail as follows:
|
Dear Mukhya,
As per the your conversation
with Antony, We are observing the bandwidth for the location is 256kbps which
is insufficient for 9 PC.
Please upgrade the bandwidth to
about 2Mbps for better performance.
Please reply with approval mail
from Division or Niteam for further assistance.
Regards,
Mahesh G
DOP.NOC
Immediately,
on receipt of the above mail, Circle Office asked SSPOs, Bhubaneswar on
30.06.2015 to submit the formal proposal in
prescribed format for required bandwidth and SSPOs,
Bhubaneswar did accordingly on 01.07.2015.
But since
the problem could not be solved till 6th July, 2015, Ashoknagar
MDG again reminded all concerned on 7th July, 2015 and without any
surprise, they did receive an auto-generated reply from Sify Help Desk with a
new Incident ID : 127206 once again for the fourth time reiterating the same
assurances that their technical team is working
to ensure a speedy resolution for the reported issue and will keep posted the
progress of the Incident ID through timely update.
And till
date the problem has remained unsolved in spite of continuous correspondences
for nearly last 2 months.
The
meaning of raising Incident IDs frequently without updating the last one
previously raised is not at all understood. While generating the Incident ID, though
Sify Help Desk is assuring that their technical team is working to ensure a
speedy resolution for the reported issue and will keep posted the progress of
the Incident ID through timely updates; it is clear from the above facts of
Ashoknagar MDG that nothing is being happened as such.
The
inaction as a whole to increase the bandwidth of a single office even during a
period of 2 months puts several questions on smooth functioning of CBS and correct
implementation of I T Modernization Project including the dream of the Hon’ble
Prime Minister for a Digital India. It is not understood who is at fault and
who will solve the issue – Sify or the Department? When the issue will be
resolved? Will it come to an end one day on raising of the first Incident ID or
it will continue for all other offices to be migrated in future as of
Ashoknagar MDG? If the position is such with migration of a few offices to CBS,
what will happen in future when all offices will be migrated as announced by
the Department along with CSI. It is known from an unauthenticated source that
the capacity of the Central Server ( perhaps 600 Mbps at present) is too low for data pooling in comparison to
the number of post offices migrated so far for which NSP -1 under BSNL cloud is
being obstructed causing slow connectivity / link failure and NSP-2 being half
of the capacity of NSP-1 is adding to the problem. When the technical faults
are not properly understood by the Counter P As / Supervisor / SPMs dealing
with CBS since nothing is clearly explained anywhere or by anybody, how they
will make the customers understand except a coded reply that the system is slow
or the link has been failed by just seeing their computer screen not opening at
all for operation.
The story of Ashoknagar MDG
is just illustrative and Sluggish Connectivity or Link Failure is one of the
problems out of hundreds in CBS Finacle. There are several transaction errors
contradicting to S B Rulings, which will be reported separately.
In this
context, you might be aware that out of 2590 CBS post offices all over India, only
66 post offices including 35 HOs have been migrated to CBS so far in Odisha
Circle during December-2014 to May-2015 and almost all offices are facing the
problem of sluggish connectivity and link failure most of the time inviting innumerable
public complaints / staff resentments.
1.
The Postal Assistants only are falling prey to the anger of
the public from dawn to dusk due to continuous arguments/counter-arguments
which is grossly affecting their efficiency in addition to demoralization since
they are not in a position to give a correct reply to the customers as to when
the failed link will be restored or the slow connectivity will be faster.
2
The Postal Assistants are just sitting to work and waiting to
work for sluggish connectivity and link failure. They are very much trying to
work and crying to work for restoring the customers’ relationship and goodwill
of the Department. But surprisingly,
they are not being cooperated timely as desired with required technical,
hardware and manpower support.
3.
The zeal and feel to work are no more. Every day, the P As of
CBS post offices are coming with all sorts of preparedness to tolerate the rude
behavior of the customers without any reaction since the customers have nothing
to do with the Department’s failure to solve the problems.
4.
The defined fixed duty hour is no more and the staff are
working till late night regularly without any financial or other compensation.
5.
Women employees working in Finacle are worst suffers being unnecessarily
detained regularly till late night inviting serious social-life disorders.
6.
The customers’ reactions are quite natural. In a very
dissatisfied mood, the esteemed customers have to wait for hours together to
finish their transaction(s). The senior citizens are registering their
resentment both for delayed transaction and many times for no transaction. The
agents are dissatisfied for non-printing of Pass Books. Due to
sluggish connectivity, the staff are prioritizing completion of transactions of
those customers standing in the queue during the short-time connectivity period
rather than printing of Pass Books only to avoid rush.
7.
The customers are regularly threatening to close the
accounts and proceed to consumer forum for bad services and writing as such in
the Complaint and Suggestion Book.
Such list
of issues arising out of slow connectivity/link failure will continue.
It is
evident that presently, we are very much serious on the recommendations of the
report of the Task Force and fighting heart and soul to save India Post from
privatization/corporatization. But, at this juncture, it is felt that India
Post has been half-privatized since some outside agencies who are being paid by
us to provide necessary services have already started to rule us. If something
tangible is not done on priority basis, then we may not be able to save our
members and the goodwill of this glorious department as well. If our service
delivery goes deteriorated, a day may
come when the common citizens of India will definitely support the
present Govt. to privatize / corporatize
India Post through implementation of the recommendations of the report of the
Task Force.
You are
requested to take up the issue with every seriousness and promptness.
Awaiting a
response at the earliest.
Comradely
yours,
B Samal
Divisional
Secretary
Copy for information and immediate necessary action to:
1. The
General Secretary, AIPEU, Gr.-C, CHQ, Dada Ghosh Bhawan, New Delhi – 110 008
2 The
Secretary General, N F P E, North Avenue P O Building, New Delhi – 110 001
This letter reflects the true picture of the CBS offices. Great drafting.
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