Staffers at Saddar General Post Office (GPO) are charging from the people with at least Rs 30 for posting parcels under different fictitious heads, most prominently, the packing charges, Business Recorder learnt on Monday. Those staffers, who are involved in the illegal business, fleece the customers with the help of their supporters sitting on the helm in the government institution, said the sources in GPO.
They said that many of the GPO's officials were involved in using illegal means to take money from the customers, a majority of whom stands to be illiterate thus unaware of the money-making tactics of the cunning black sheep in GPO. An irresponsible and indifferent attitude of the GPO officers was the real cause for holding such corrupt elements who, the sources said, were cheating and fleecing the customers in the daylight.
They said the GPO officers were not performing their duties scrupulously, thus leaving the masses at the mercy of such black sheep who, the sources said, were deceiving the people without any moral consideration. However, when asked the staffers, who were busy in parcelling the to-be-posted stuff, said, "We are assigned to this job to avoid smuggling or transfer of narcotics or any other illegal thing."
Interestingly, the staffers were not issuing any receipt of packing fee and the receipt being issued to the parcel-senders were showing only the net amount of the items weighed. A group of people gathered at GPO also accused the staffers of overcharging them for the packages, saying the corrupt officers inside the office were also charging them with extra money in the name of over-weight parcels.
Ironically, when contacted, this reporter found the high-ups at GPO well informed about the illegal activity, saying that, "In the past we have witnessed some bad experiences, like smuggling of illegal stuff, when the people used to be pack their parcels on their own."
"We have not assigned anyone of the GPO staffers officially to do this job but if somebody is doing this it is an illegal activity," said a GPO official. The Pakistan Post's mandatory attachment of National Identity Card with each parcel and money orders are also forcing people to get the private courier services which cause the department of economic loses, sources said.
They also said that the illegal business of the GPO staff of stowing parcels has also deprived the people doing the same job privately in front of the post office. The officials also alleged that these freelances outside the GPO, who help the uneducated customers of the post office through writing their letters, filling money order forms etc, are doing the job illegally without any permission and license from the concerned departments.
But on the other hand, rejecting the allegation of the GPO officials these people said that they have the authority letters issued by, the City District Government Karachi (CDGK). "We are doing the legal job here for years and we have the requisite permission of what we do here," one of the letter writers told this reporter.
Comments
Comments are closed.