BPO to shut down 120 post offices due to lack of business, manpower
Thursday, 25 September 2008
Mahmuda Shaolin
Authorities have planned to shut down 120 post offices including 20 in the capital Dhaka and port city of Chittagong, this month due to lack of business growth and manpower shortage, an official has said.
Bangladesh Post Office (BPO) director general Mobassher ur Rahman told the FE that this is the first time since the country's independence that his department is drawing shutters on post offices.
"We don't have enough manpower and equipment to run the day-to-day business of some 120 post offices across the country, including 20 from Dhaka and Chittagong," Rahman said.
"These post offices have actually become dysfunctional. They can't serve their communities and don't generate enough businesses for the department. So we have decided to close them down," he said.
There are around 9886 government post offices and agent village post offices spread almost every nook and corner of the country, employing more than 16,000 post-masters, postmen and runners.
Rahman said since 2004, the BPO has not been allowed to recruit essential manpower like postmasters and postmen, despite huge potentials for growth of new postal services such remittance delivery.
Some 250 posts of postmasters are currently vacant, including 35 in Dhaka, he added.
"Most of the post offices don't have required postmasters or postmen for the service," he added.
The BPO has long been negotiating with the establishment ministry for allowing it to make fresh recruitment against vacant posts but no permission has been given in the last four years.
The department, one of the oldest in the country, incurred around Tk 1.25 billion loss in the last fiscal year, as smart courier companies and mobile phones ate up major shares of its market.
It has been desperately looking for alternative sources of revenues to cut back on its losses and make its services quicker and consumer friendly.
In the last few months, the department led by Rahman signed a slew of deals with two global financial behemoths, Citibank NA and Standard Chartered Bank, American money-transfer giant Western Union and several other private banks to deliver their remittances in exchange for annual fees.
The BPO chief said the organization can embark on more income generating ventures, but it will not be fruitful unless the vacancies are filled.
"Out of our around 10,000 offices, only about 1000 situated in the cities and district towns are in full commercial use. The rest remains under-utilised throughout the year," he said.
Authorities have planned to shut down 120 post offices including 20 in the capital Dhaka and port city of Chittagong, this month due to lack of business growth and manpower shortage, an official has said.
Bangladesh Post Office (BPO) director general Mobassher ur Rahman told the FE that this is the first time since the country's independence that his department is drawing shutters on post offices.
"We don't have enough manpower and equipment to run the day-to-day business of some 120 post offices across the country, including 20 from Dhaka and Chittagong," Rahman said.
"These post offices have actually become dysfunctional. They can't serve their communities and don't generate enough businesses for the department. So we have decided to close them down," he said.
There are around 9886 government post offices and agent village post offices spread almost every nook and corner of the country, employing more than 16,000 post-masters, postmen and runners.
Rahman said since 2004, the BPO has not been allowed to recruit essential manpower like postmasters and postmen, despite huge potentials for growth of new postal services such remittance delivery.
Some 250 posts of postmasters are currently vacant, including 35 in Dhaka, he added.
"Most of the post offices don't have required postmasters or postmen for the service," he added.
The BPO has long been negotiating with the establishment ministry for allowing it to make fresh recruitment against vacant posts but no permission has been given in the last four years.
The department, one of the oldest in the country, incurred around Tk 1.25 billion loss in the last fiscal year, as smart courier companies and mobile phones ate up major shares of its market.
It has been desperately looking for alternative sources of revenues to cut back on its losses and make its services quicker and consumer friendly.
In the last few months, the department led by Rahman signed a slew of deals with two global financial behemoths, Citibank NA and Standard Chartered Bank, American money-transfer giant Western Union and several other private banks to deliver their remittances in exchange for annual fees.
The BPO chief said the organization can embark on more income generating ventures, but it will not be fruitful unless the vacancies are filled.
"Out of our around 10,000 offices, only about 1000 situated in the cities and district towns are in full commercial use. The rest remains under-utilised throughout the year," he said.