Service seekers at the Patgati Sub-Post Office in Tungipara, Gopalganj, are reportedly suffering as sub-postmaster Faizul Islam Talukder allegedly remains absent from the office during working hours.
Patgati Bazar, located in Ward 9 of Tungipara Municipality, is the area’s largest commercial hub. People from Tungipara as well as parts of Chitalmari in Bagerhat and Nazirpur in Pirojpur visit the market for business, banking and other activities. The market handles transactions worth crores of taka every day.
Given the area’s importance, the government established the Patgati Sub-Post Office to provide essential postal services, including the sale of revenue stamps, official correspondence, postal life insurance, DPS and savings certificate-related services.
However, locals and officials of several institutions allege that Faizul is frequently absent from the office. They also claim that he sometimes leaves during office hours and departs before the scheduled closing time.
As a result, service seekers often have to travel around two kilometres to the Tungipara Head Post Office to access basic services.
During visits to the Patgati Sub-Post Office at 10am on August 19, noon on August 20 and 1pm on August 23, this correspondent did not find the sub-postmaster there.
On August 23, employee Azhar Gazi, who was present at the partially closed office, said Faizul was on leave. When contacted by phone, however, Faizul said he had left the office shortly before because a relative was ill and that he would return within an hour.
Mohammad Abdullah, a homeopathic physician whose chamber is next to the post office, said he had met Faizul only once since his appointment.
“Many service seekers return without receiving services because he is not there,” Abdullah said. He added that Azhar often tells him they have gone to the upazila for official work when visitors arrive.
Mohammad, an employee of Masuk Enterprise at Patgati Bazar, alleged that Faizul usually arrives after 10am and leaves before 3pm.
Several bank managers, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they often cannot purchase revenue stamps from the sub-post office because the postmaster is unavailable. They are consequently forced to send staff to the head post office.
Nahida Khanam of Gowhardanga and Shahid Alam of Patgati said they had visited the office several times for information about FDRs, DPS, savings certificates and postal life insurance but failed to find the official.
Faizul denied the allegations, saying there was no proof that anyone had been denied services because of his absence. He said his working hours were from 9am to 4pm and that transportation problems sometimes caused delays.
Rokon Kazi, inspector (administration) at the Faridpur Deputy Postmaster General’s Office, said the allegations would be reported to the deputy postmaster general and an investigation would be conducted before necessary action is taken.