The Hindu : Front Page : Department of Posts launches freighter service

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Aug 30, 2007
ePaper

Front Page

Front Page

Department of Posts launches freighter service

— PHOTO: RITU RAJ KONWAR

A MILESTONE: Union Communications and IT Minister A. Raja flags off the first postal air freighter service by the Department of Posts in Guwahati on Wednesday.

Guwahati: The Department of Posts on Wednesday launched a full-fledged domestic freighter service here for the first time in the country to be operated by Indian (now Air India).

Dedicating the service to the nation, Union Communications and IT Minister A. Raja said the service was an endeavour to bring the Northeast region to the heart of the country’s economy.

With rapid economic growth, he said the hopes and aspirations of the Northeast people had increased and the freighter service was one to fulfil their needs.

It was for the first time that India Post and Air India had come together and the two service providers had a great future in this partnership, Mr. Raja asserted.

The service would operate to and from Kolkata and from the rest of the country to Guwahati, Imphal and Agartala as part of the Postal Department’s effort to improve its mail network and infrastructure in the Northeast.

Later, Mr. Raja told reporters that India Post would get three or four more aircraft to cover the rest of the country.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in a message, said the Central government had been making concerted efforts to improve infrastructural services in the Northeast to enable the people there to realise their full potential.

“I am sure that this will improve connectivity to the Northeast and will open new vistas for our citizens there to access markets and services in the rest of India faster and at a reasonable cost,” Dr. Singh said. — PTI

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page