Should we depend on private courier services? A
Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) study has found private couriers
deliver only 90% of letters compared to 99% by speed post.
In major cities, the performance of speed post is faster and more
reliable. The postal service delivers 99% of letters through speed post
within 1-9 days as compared to 92% by private courier services that take
up to 10 days.
At the local level, the delivery by speed post is 98% compared to 93% by
courier services. While the time taken by speed post is 1-11 days at
local level, it is 1-12 days in case of private couriers.
In a report on department of posts, tabled in Parliament recently, the
official auditor has said the performance of speed post has been better
not only at local level and in major cities, but it is the only reliable
service at the tehsil and village level.
To compare the performance and quality of speed post with private
courier agencies for delivery of mails, a test check was conducted by
CAG in eight postal circles -- Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil
Nadu, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Checks
were conducted by posting hundreds of letters.
At
the tehsil level only speed post could reach 100% addressees that too
within 1-7 days while private couriers could deliver only 83% letters
and time ranged from 1-23 days.
"Based on the results, it could be concluded that the speed post service
of the department of posts (DoP) was better than the services provided
by the private couriers," the auditor said.
Speed post was introduced in 1986 to provide a faster and time-bound
mail delivery service in major cities. However, due to late delivery of
mails people had stopped relying on the department. But the auditor says
the perception is wrong and speed post still remains most reliable and
account for more than 10% of the total revenue of the DoP.
In the test check, the auditor had posted 284 letters by speed post and
287 by different private couriers. The performance was judged based on
the number of letters sent, letters actually delivered, and time taken
for delivery of test letters.
Source
: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Speed-post-faster-more-reliable-than-private-couriers-CAG/articleshow/47349880.cms
