Sharp drop in use of postcards, inland letters

                 PATNA: Until a few years ago, hardly a day would go by without the postman bringing a postcard from a family member or an acquaintance. One used to wait anxiously for the arrival of the postman who used to bring in some important message written in cream coloured postcards or folded blue inland letters.

Postcards and inland letters used to be the most popular format and at many places the only means of postal communication. A postcard, which costs just 50 paise each or the inland letter at Rs 2.50 are still the most affordable mode of communication for a majority of people. Some postcards (also called Meghdoot postcard) that carry advertisements are even cheaper at only 25 paise each.

But fewer and fewer number of people use this service today, particularly in urban areas, where private courier services, e-mail and SMS are preferred over the post. While e-mail is convenient, private couriers are known to be quicker in delivering letters and packages. The use of these once common postal facilities has gone down even in towns and villages with the availability of mobile telephone services that has changed the systems of communication quite dramatically. The use of postcards and inland letters has declined sharply over the past decade, since the introduction of the quicker Speed Post system and private courier services.

According to a data from the postal department received by RTI activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal, the traffic of postcards has dropped 76 percent from a little over 336 crore in 1999-2000 to about 78 crore in 2008-09. Similarly, the use of inland letters has fallen 72 percent from 355 crore to 98 crore during the same period.

Shri Krishna Puri post office (Patna) sub-postmaster Ram Vinay Singh said that he had requisitioned 300 postcards six months back, but hardly three to four pieces have been sold since then. There are very few buyers of post cards or inland letters these days. But, now-a-days only speed post letters are doing the business. Postal services are being used mostly by the government departments and institutions, he said.

Courtesy : The Times of India, Dec. 8, 2011

My comment on the article "Sharp drop in use of postcards, inland letters"' as displayed on timesofindia.com.

"To satisfy the Universal Service Obligation, India Post is still exchanging the emotions and feeling of the people at Rs.0.25 per Meghdoot Post Card, Rs.0.50 per Postcard and Rs.2.50 per Inland letter Card. Many people hardly know that with the same Rs.0.25 / Rs.0.50 / Rs.2.50, the card can be redirected to anywhere in India or returned to the sender. Of course, it is a different matter that with the improved communication system and information technology, people are expecting expeditious service through internet/eMail/SMS which has reduced the use of post card s/ inland letter cards. Though eMails/SMSs are the competitors , I don’t find them as real substitutes of the Post Cards / Inland Letter Cards. The emotions in “dakiya dak laya …...” will be echoing always."