Lack of furniture has resulted in people being asked to stand in queues outside for purchasing stamps, registration of letters, getting money orders done or paying telephone bills. Though space is adequate, security stops officials from allowing people to crowd inside.

Though the condition of a number of post offices of the city is no better, an organisation of residents of the Rander-Adajan area has raised its voice over lack of facilities.

The Rander Adajan Loksamiti, taking up issue, has pointed out that even after four months of the flood, the authorities concerned had done precious little to restore order in the PO. Neither have repairs been undertaken nor new furniture purchased, resulting in people having to stand in queues even to purchase a stamp.

The post office was under four ft water for three consecutive days, damaging a 23-feet-long counter, which was used to conduct routine work like selling stamps, issuing money orders, registration of letters and accepting telephone bills. ``The flood water damaged the counter and now we don't have any other counters for routine work, leaving us with no other alternative but to start the counter outside,'' pointed out post master of the post office S M A Saiyed.He said with the post office dealing in money worth lakhs of rupees everyday, it was not possible to allow people to crowd in.

Department sources told Express Newsline that making new counters would call for an expenditure of Rs 26,000 approximately. Incidentally, leave alone the post master of the post office, even the senior superintendent of posts (SSP) of the division can sanction only upto Rs 1000. The Post Master General, who is in-charge of entire South Gujarat, can sanction upto Rs 10,000. The Chief Post Master General (CPMG) is authorised to sanction projects higher than Rs 10,000, but has reportedly not done so although a proposal to this effect has been sent to his office in Ahmedabad.

Senior Superintendent of Posts (SSP) of the Surat division D P Dabhi, while stating that the proposal had been taken up with higher authorities for approval, said that people queueing up on the outside of the post office was a temporary phase. ``We will make some alternative arrangements within a week and get a few counters shifted from elsewhere,'' he said.

However, other problems too plague the Navyug PO. Started in 1980, the place is small and understaffed. Besides, there are about 22,000 telephone subscribers in the Rander telephone exchange alone, all of whom are given bills bimonthly. ``Even if we accept upto 500 bills everyday, only half the subscribers' bills can be accepted,'' said one employee at the post office.

He suggested that the telecom department, which was overstaffed, open collection centres exclusively for collecting phone bills. At least people will not be penalised for making late payment. Telephone bills are accepted at the telephone exchange but only from 10 am to 1 pm and only through cheque.