DERGAON, March 3 - At a time when the nation is going digital on every conceivable front, a speed post letter took 24 days to reach its destination 365 kms away!
As per information gathered from leading local nature organisation Aashray, a letter addressed to the Principal of Ratnapith College at Bahalpur Sapori in Dhubri district requesting him to send a debating team to participate in the All Assam Green Open Debating Competition on �Human-Animal Conflict� organised by the organisation on February 28, was posted at Dergaon Sub Post Office on February 8 at 12.36 pm.
However, an SMS received by the secretary of Aashray revealed that the letter was delivered at the college at 11.32 am today. After tracking the route of the letter from the website of India Post, it was found that the letter which cost Rs 41.30 was forwarded by Transit Mail Office (TMO) Mariani through Railway Mail Service (RMS) to Guwahati National Sorting Hub (NSH) on February 9. But NSH Guwahati received the item on February 17 and it was forwarded to Chapar Sub Post Office on February 19. At long last, the letter was finally delivered to the addressee on March 3, while the programme for which the letter was sent was over on February 28.
The secretary of Aashray opined that negligence by the Postal Department has been viewed as a serious breach of contract and the matter has therefore been forwarded to the legal adviser of Aashray for necessary review.
In the meantime, the socially conscious section of citizens here have urged the Postal Department to pull up their socks and perform their allotted duties more professionally.
