Mon Dec 09 15:12:26 UTC 2024: ## Pudukottai Politicians Protest Proposed Railway Mail Service Merger
**Pudukottai, Tamil Nadu, December 9, 2024** – Members of various political parties in Pudukottai staged a five-hour-long protest on Monday against the central government’s plan to merge the local Railway Mail Service (RMS) office with the Tiruchi office.
The protest, involving approximately 100 members from parties including the CPI(M), CPI, DMK, Congress, VCK, and MDMK, began before dawn outside the Pudukottai RMS office near the railway station. Protesters argued that the 75-year-old office’s closure would severely impact postal services in the district’s rural areas. CPI(M) district secretary S. Sankar highlighted the detrimental effect on rural communities.
Despite negotiations with police and revenue officials, the protest continued until a senior postal department official intervened. The official provided written assurance that the protesters’ concerns would be forwarded to the Postmaster General in Tiruchi, and that the merger proposal would be temporarily suspended pending a response. Following this assurance, the protesters dispersed.
First Piper 