Victorian-era post office still alive and kicking

Authorities of postal department lack funds to maintain the building

LAHORE: The building of the Postal Department, established in 1860 on Mall Road, is still alive and kicking. The building was built on the occasion of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee.

The two-storey building houses the office of arms renewal licences, the International Mail Office, wheel token tax, postal life insurance cell and delivery areas.

Also, the pension of retired PTCL employees, postal departments and martyrs of the Pakistan Army is dispersed from the building. Parcels and mail deliveries out of the office take two to three days to reach other parts of the country.

It also sends post abroad via an express mail service and parcels or documents take seven days to reach even the most remote of countries, including South Africa.

The building is constructed with red bricks in the form of a design, which adds to the beauty of the building. A central air-conditioning system reduces the electricity bill of hundreds of fans.



At the same time, authorities of the postal department also lack funds. Because the historic clock installed in the General Post Office had not been maintained, it has been given to the Lahore Museum. Regadless, the historic bell of the 1860s, installed in the General Post Office, still holds great importance. Historically, it used to be rung when the postmasters called out of the office to deliver postage.

The aim was to ensure that relevant staff was alerted on time when a package was ready for delivery.

Also, the bell was rung in a unique manner in case of an emergency.

As per modern requirements, the authorities of the postal department also introduced several services to speed up their delivery system and provide better services than private courier companies. Currently, the Express Mail Service is the fastest courier in the country.

This mail service delivers parcels and letters across the country and abroad within two to three days.

In other countries, including South Africa, letters and parcels are shipped within seven days. In this regard, the authorities of Postal Department have also contracted international private courier companies to deliver the overseas postings in a timely manner.

A bar code will be introduced to the system in future as well. The General Post Office, located on Mall Road, has departments for renewal of weapon licenses, money orders, fax money orders, saving sales, wheel token tax, international mail office, postal life insurance and the delivery area.

Each month pension is paid to employees through the postal department.

Also, postal insurance holders are paid monthly and annual profits from the general post office.

However, there are no bonuses or other allowances given to employees despite the department earning millions of rupees in revenue through postage and parcel delivery. If the revenue is spent on the maintenance and welfare of the General Post Office building, the performance of the department will increase substantially.

Also, employees and visitors complain that the historic building is in dire need of renovation. They say there are several logistical and safety issues due to the lack of maintenance.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 14^th, 2019.