Manipur News

IMPHAL, January 7: Despite the recent uproar over inordinate delay in delivery of a mail to an addressee in Ukhrul, Speed Post, the government owned courier service in the state continues to be erratic with impunity.

The Imphal head office of the service is currently in a glut of undelivered mails and parcels, some of them weeks old.

The Imphal Head Office claim this unmanageable backlog at its office currently is on account the Kolkata NHS suddenly releasing several weeks mail all at once after holding them up for two weeks at the Airport.

An addressee complained to IFP that a set of books purchased from online retailer Amazon India on December 19 by her father has still not reached her.

Using the internet parcel tracking facilities of both Amazon India and India Post, the parcel is indicated as booked with the Kadugodi Extension SO in Karnataka on December 20.

The track events for the parcel, on the website of India Post, which boasts the capability of delivering mails and parcels anywhere in India in 24 to 48 hours, has the following details.

The parcel was booked on December 20m at 9:28am at R Kadugodi Extension SO. The bag containing the parcel was dispatched for NHS Kolkata Airport at 4:09pm the same day. The bag was received at NSH Kolkata Airport the next day, December 21, at 3:33pm. From there the bag was dispatched to NSH Imphal the same day at 7:46pm.

The delay begins thereon. The tracking facility show NHS Imphal receiving the bag on January 1, at 12:32pm, 10 days after the NHS Kolkata Airport claims it was dispatched from its office.

The question is, why was the Speed Post bag held up for 10 days in the Kolkata Airport? Or was it allowed to pile up at the NHS Imphal all the while.

The internet tracking facility shows NHS Imphal opened the bag and dispatched the parcel to Imphal H.O. on the same day at 3:59pm.

The bag was received at Imphal H.O. on January 2, at 9:44am, opened at 9:45am. January 2 is a Friday, but the having received the parcel early in the morning, the Imphal HO failed to deliver the parcel to the addressee.

The Speed Post parcel, though lying in the Imphal HO is still not delivered even after a week since it came to be in the custody of the Imphal HO.

When the addressee`™s father called the Imphal HO Speed Post department at 2452239, the lady answering the call explained it was the delay from Kolkata which has resulted in a huge piling up at the Imphal HO, and her office is frantically trying to clear the pile.

She suggested the addressee should come to the Imphal HO and collect the parcel.

Given the circumstance, this may be reasonable, but the question is should the matter be allowed to be forgotten without a proper inquiry. After all, the postal service employees are paid from public tax money, and Speed Post tariff is higher than ordinary mail or registered posts precisely because of the promise they would be delivered swiftly, the addressee said.

According to India Post`™s own advertisements, Speed Post mails are guaranteed delivery within 24 hours to most destinations in India and 48 maximum to some destinations.

Yet, nearly 20 days after this particular parcel began its Speed Post journey from Karnataka, it has still not reached its destination.

It is only to be imagined what the plights of addressees who might be waiting for urgent mails on which things as important as careers could depend.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/01/inordinate-delays-speed-post-mails-and-parcels-continue/

IMPHAL, January 7: The 40th Foundation Day of the Manipur Press Club is like Teacher`™s Day because the media like teachers spread information to people everywhere, stated Th Lokeshwar, the Speaker of the Manipur Legislative Assembly while speaking as the chief guest speech on January 6 at the Manipur Press Club.

The foundation day observation was organised by the All Manipur Working Journalists Union (AMWJU).

He said the observation is not only meant for media persons but also includes people who came to this club to talk about their problems so that the media fraternity can disseminate their tales of woes.

Media is important in every country because they are the only means through information regarding various issues in a place can be gathered, he added.

Lokeshwar further said that listening to the story of how the Press club came into being is inspiring and that we should all be grateful to the veteran journalists who prepared the groundwork for its establishment.

He requested media houses to consider the pros and cons before publishing a story and its negative impact on people.

He also stressed that Manipur cannot become `a golden Manipur` without the contribution of media houses.

In his speech as the guest of honour, Works and Transport minister Dr Kh Ratankumar Singh said journalists of today in our state are different from journalists of two decades ago and now they have capabilities to compete with journalists of other nations as well as many national papers. All the credit must go to the senior journalist because it won`™t have been possible without their help and suggestion.

He said the press club can now be compared with press clubs of other states. However, it all boils down to the contribution made by various media houses, he added.

Sometimes, we found news-reports where reporting is done subjectively or personalised which indicates the character of the particular reporter or the media house, he said, while calling for professionalism among the media fraternity.

Veteran journalist K Madhumangol Singh said the press club was intended to be founded on December 29, 1974 but unfortunately Chief Minister of the time who was supposed to attend as the chief guest could not attend as his government collapsed and it had to be formally established on January 6, 1974.

Many problems had to be faced in those days in organsing such foundation days as the infrastructure was really poor., he said, adding that the story of how the Press club and AMWJU came into being should be published in the press club journal so new journalists can remember their struggles.

In his presidential speech, AMWJU president Wangkhemcha Shamjai said that all the old furniture which were used by veteran journalists were being preserved.

He said AMWJU is trying to keep separate rooms for veteran journalists and women journalist. The guest room is completed but beds are still in the process of being assembled, he added.

Veteran journalists, DIPR officials, staffs of AIR Imphal, leaders of civil organisation and AMWJU members attended the function.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/01/amwju-celebrates-press-club-40th-bday/