Cool Ahmedabad

Shreyas Talpade as Mahadev may have made people laugh when he played the role of a letter writer who turns author in the Bollywood flick 'Welcome to Sajjanpur' last year.

Stories of such postal letter writers (PLWs) turned real in Gujarat High Court recently when the postal department scrapped this scheme, rendering several of those who helped illiterate people write to their near and dear ones jobless. The PLW system in post offices was introduced during the British Raj.

At least 131 PLWs associated with as many post offices in Ahmedabad were issued licences as PLWs to aid postal department's customers, which were renewed in 2008 for two years. But in March last year they were communicated through a letter by deputy director general of P&T that the scheme had been discontinued and they would not be allowed to sit in post offices. One of the main reasons given was rise in literacy.

No pleas worked, so the PLWs moved Gujarat High Court and claimed in their petition that they were engaged in this profession for some 15 to 30 years, and at this stage it was not possible for them to adapt to another job.

They also contended that a large number of people who came to post offices were aged or illiterate or simply needed assistance in writing letters, filling up forms and sealing articles for parcels. "It is not unknown that thousands of letters are still reaching dead letters office because of incorrect addresses, therefore it is not proper to say that because of increase in literacy the scheme of PLW deserves to be discontinued," the petition reads.

The court was not convinced with their arguments, and Justice KA Puj dismissed the plea. However, the court too observed that literacy ratio has gone up and other modes of communication are available to people, and PLWs' assistance is no longer required. The judge noticed that PLW can render their services by remaining outside the post offices if they feel that it is in general public interest.