Srinagar: Department of Posts (DoP), Jammu and Kashmir Circle is starting a one-of-its-kind service on the Dal Lake where the postman will collect parcels at the ‘doorsteps’ while riding a shikara.
The novel ‘Shikara Post’ service will be launched on coming Sunday with an aim to benefit the people, especially traders living in the Dal Lake and also the visitors that stay at the popular tourist destination in Kashmir.
“This Shikara Post service will be inaugurated by chief postmaster general J&K Circle Neeraj Kumar on Sunday. Now, a postman will collect post and parcels from the doorsteps in Dal Lake. We will provide a number and the postman will be just a phone call away. The service will benefit the businessmen in the area as they will not have to come to the post office to dispatch parcels or make payments. It will also benefit the tourists staying in the houseboats in case they wish to send souvenirs or gifts outside the Valley,” a DoP official told The Kashmir Monitor.
Interestingly, he said foreign tourists were still mailing postcards from Kashmir and they would be able to avail service.
“Foreign tourists still send postcards from Kashmir as we receive lots of them at our post offices. This service will benefit them too as they too can call the postman on shikara from their houseboats,” the official said.
He said, initially, the DoP will engage one shikara for the collections and would press into service more boats in case they get a good response.
“Initially, we will be hiring one shikara and we would hire more depending on the response. In fact, the postman delivers mail and parcels through a shikara only and now we are starting collections too,” the official said while adding that Dal Lake’s famous ‘floating post office’ would be primarily dealing with the ‘Shikara Post’.
Pertinently, a 200-year-old post office in a houseboat popularly known as the ‘floating post office’ has for long become a tourist attraction on the Dal Lake.
“We receive thousands of people, especially tourists that come here to buy special covers, postcards, and stamps at the floating post office on Dal Lake. They also take pictures in this floating post office and now the Shikara Post will become an added attraction,” the DoP official said.
