Janaki Krishnamoorthi
You may or may not have noticed the new elegant post boxes installed in some parts of the city including the one at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Powai near the market gate. The first box was launched in Delhi in 2005 and since then 30 boxes have been installed in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Patna. It is expected that 200 more will be installed soon.
Designed and manufactured by Industrial Design Centre (IDC), IIT, the elegant letterbox with a stainless steel body mounted on a base has won a “special mention” for its innovative use in a product design. This award was presented by a prominent company that manufactures stainless steel products.
The new box has an attractive red beak-like top with an aperture for letters. While the top cover enveloping the body would prevent the ingress of rainwater, the slopes at the top of the box would drain out the rainwater. A wide opening to accommodate large envelopes, a flat top for writing, a simple time slider and a common key to open all the letterboxes in one region are some of the unique features of this newly-designed box. More importantly, it is maintenance free and certainly user-friendly.
“The existing post boxes made of mild steel are easily rusted and get damaged rapidly. As a result, the postal department has spent around Rs 400 per annum, per box, on painting, repairing and maintaining them. The new box, including the lock, is rust-free and will last for more than 20 years,” avers Professor B K Chakravarty of IDC, who conceptualised and developed the project.
The cost of manufacturing is Rs 6000 per box, more than double the cost of the existing ones. But, the new box with its long life is more advantageous as it will have no maintenance cost.
“In addition, the attractive box with ample space on the sides can be used for advertising and the revenue generated will also offset the higher cost,” avers Prof Chakravarthy.
“There is no doubt about the fact that this new post box is economical, long-lasting and user-friendly. Its futuristic look will definitely enhance the image of the Postal Department,” concurs A P Srivastava, post master general, Mumbai region. “However to generate advertising revenue we must have more boxes installed, as advertisers always look at the quantum of exposure,” he adds.
Though, a decision has been made at Delhi to replace all the old boxes with these new ones, the precise details on how this will be executed have not yet been finalised.
“Cost is a major constraint. Also, we cannot just dump all the old boxes, some of which are in a good condition. But all the boxes will be replaced in a phased manner, over a period of three to four years. We will soon discuss our future strategy with IDC,” reveals Srivastava.
IDC has now suggested a promotional campaign to popularise the new box among corporates as a new-age advertising medium. “The government is not geared up to hire consultants, pay for developmental costs and use quality material and techniques for manufacturing their products and promoting them. This is why we took up the project and executed it like we would do for any corporate client. We did not look at it as a government venture and we also received full support from postal officials,” says Chakravarthy..