The working conditions at GPO are bad due to frequent power breakdowns. Incidents of using fake currency notes are on rising trend at the General Post Office (GPO) Lahore while it is too difficult for the staff to differentiate between the fake and real currency notes due to poor visibility resulting from power failures.
The electric transformer exclusively installed for the GPO was blown at about 5 pm on Thursday amid heavy rain. Lahore Electricity Supply Company (Lesco) failed to replace it even after 24 hours and staff was forced to work in the candlelight.
Moreover, GPO is totally lacking alternate power facility like UPS or electric generator, which compelled the staff to make entries manually. GPO Lahore is hub of different kind of services like depositing of utility bills, money transfer, money order, registries, parcels, sale of postage and revenue tickets, and all kinds of saving schemes on behalf of National Saving Organisation.
A staff member told Business Recorder that three incidents had been detected of using fake currency notes just in less than 24 hours. "We have to deal about 1000 people for various services daily and it is too difficult for us to differentiate between fake and real notes in candle light", he said adding that they had to pay from their own pocket if failed to check fake note. There is an electric generator that is out of order for the last one year.
The generator needs repairing, which would not cost more than Rs 50,000 but it could not be repaired after laps of substantial time period, he said. 'Now we have learnt that the administration has called tender for generator's repairing and let us see how much time it would take, he added.
Seeking anonymity, he said that we provide the commercial banks like services from 9.00 am to 9.00pm without any interval but government does not bother to facilitate in the same way. At least the high-ups should facilitate the staff working in the main hall for public dealing.