| ePOST
- THE NEXT GENERATION POST |
 Integrating
the lightning fast e-mail with the traditional snail
mail, the Department of Posts launched a
new hybrid service -ePost; in August 2001.
The ePost is cost-effective and faster communication
system bridging the gap between those who have Internet
connectivity and those who do not.
The traditional mail system generally takes at lest
a week to reach its destination. But with the introduction
of ePost people living in and out of India and have
internet connection can send messages to their dear
ones through e-post, which will be delivered within
a few hours to the addressee physically. With ePost
one can receive e-mail even without a computer or
access to Internet. E-mail sent on an ePost address
is printed, enveloped and delivered to the addressee
within a few hours. To use this facility you have
to open an account at www.indiapost.org. You can
register online by paying a minimum of Rs. 250 through
credit card or ePost Prepaid card. You can buy the
ePost Prepaid Card from any of the Head Post
Offices throughout the country. The cards are available
in denominations of Rs. 250, Rs. 500, Rs. 2000,
Rs. 5000 and Rs. 10,000.
 Once
you create your account in ePost you can send messages
to your dear ones in select places of Andhra
Pradesh, Gujarat, Goa, Kerala and Maharastra. Open
your account at ePost site and type the message
in the box provided for that. Then you have to give
full postal address of the recipient. Click on Send
Message to send the message. Your message will be
downloaded at the ePost Centre according to your
postal address. For instance, if you are sending
a message to Mumbai, the e-mail will be received
at Mumbai Head Post Office, there it will be printed
and delivered to the addressee. For this service,
the Department of Posts will charge Rs. 10 for an
A4 size paper message. The amount will be automatically
debited to your ePost account.
 You
may feel that there is no privacy in the ePost as
the postal employees can read your message. Your
apprehensions are right. But a Postal Department
official says, "The message you send cannot
be read on screen and after printing it is so fast
it is not possible for anybody to take time to read
the messages. The strict supervision structure takes
care of absolute privacy".
The ePost service is presently available in
50 post offices in the Sate. These ePost Centres
will download and arrange delivery of e-mail in
855 cities/town/villages in the state. Apart from
AP, this facility is available in Gujarat, Goa,
Kerala and Maharastra in the country. As this service
is introduced on a pilot basis, after evaluating
its efficacy the service will be spread to the other
parts of the country.
For more details log on to: www.indiapost.org
|
 |  |
|
|
