Samuel (extreme left) speaks to customers at Sevoke Road, urging them to use Speed Post and other postal services. Picture by Diptendu Dutta

Siliguri, March 1: The Union government will regulate private courier services by an amendment to the Indian Post Office Act, following which such services may require licences to carry out their operations.

Though the courier services are supposed to deliver parcels, they ?illegally? delivered letters as well. The government now wants to introduce regulations by amending Section 4 of the Post Office Act. This will hopefully rein in the mushrooming courier services which are notoriously irregular and careless.

As of now, the post office has about 10 per cent of the total courier/speed post service in the country, which last stood at Rs 5,000 crore a year.

?In north Bengal and Sikkim, this share is over 30 per cent as the public in the hill areas rely more on the postal services,? said John Samuel, the postmaster general of north Bengal and Sikkim.

Samuel also announced the opening of seven Speed Post centres at Hill Cart Road, Salugara, Sevoke Road, Kadamtala, Bhaktinagar, Naxalbari and Pradhannagar (which opened today). Eight such centres will be set up in Cooch Behar, Malda and Sikkim.

The postal official also announced the opening of a 24-hour post office at NJP railway station, to be inaugurated on March 12. ?All postal services except savings bank facilities, will be available here,? he said. Adding that a person wishing to deliver anything by Speed Post could do so up to 30 minutes prior to the scheduled departure of any mail or express train.

Samuel said though Speed Post rates may not come down but value-added services could be added.

For example, local delivery within two hours of accepting the consignment,can be guaranteed.

?We also have a free home collection service. A postman will take the article from the consumer's door. Promptness and better services are guaranteed,? he said.

During the Speed Post Fortnight, a seminar on ?Challenges before Indian Post? and a quiz for college students will also be held.