Tirupati: The Central Postal Department’s decision to suspend the TP-25 Railway Mail Service (RMS) unit operating on the Rayalaseema Express has sparked strong discontent among postal employees of the Tirupati RMS Division. They expressed deep anguish over the move, stating that it would adversely affect postal services in the Tirupati region. Employees argued that the decision was unjustified, especially considering Tirupati’s strategic importance and the division’s adequate infrastructure to support mail operations.

In protest, the employees submitted a formal representation to Tirupati Member of Parliament, Dr Maddila Gurumoorthy, requesting his intervention. Responding swiftly, the MP wrote to the Secretary of the Ministry of Communications and Posts, urging a reconsideration of the department’s decision. In his response, the Secretary clarified that the RMS unit had a limited operational scope, mainly facilitating mail transfer between Tirupati and Secunderabad, with minimal exchanges occurring at intermediate stations.

The Secretary further explained that the department has strengthened alternate routes to ensure timely delivery of mail. With robust air and road transport networks now in place between Tirupati–Hyderabad and Tirupati–Bengaluru, mail is being delivered on schedule without relying on the suspended RMS service.

To further enhance efficiency and security, the department announced the launch of two new internal Road Transport Network (RTN) routes: Tirupati–Kadapa–Kurnool–Anantapur and Tirupati–Kurnool–Nandyal–Vijayawada–Guntur. These RTN vehicles will operate with locked and sealed compartments, equipped with GPS tracking systems to ensure safe and timely postal delivery.

However, despite these assurances, postal staff remain concerned and insist that RMS services, especially those based on the railway network, should be retained in strategically significant areas like Tirupati.