Good response to flag sale at Vellore post offices

VELLORE: The Vellore Postal Department has planned to sell 10,000 flags in the district through its 157 post offices.

Officials of Postal Department, while expressing confidence about a big sale, said, “We expect to sell all flags in the next couple of days as there is a steady demand.”

This reporter witnessed even those who came to the post office on seeing the flags buying 4 flags for Rs 100 not wanting to get back any change.

Meanwhile, sources said that around 400 disfigured flags, which arrived at the Vellore Head Post Office some days ago for sale from August 1, were withheld by officials reportedly resulting in a delay in starting the sale.

Vellore HPO officials, who received a consignment of national tricolour, were shocked to find that a significant number of flags had oval chakras in the middle while the three colour bands were also not properly aligned. On being informed about the faulty flags, the Chennai office advised the Vellore postal officials to withhold them and sent a fresh batch.

Superintendent of Posts N Rajagopalan said, “We received a fresh batch of flags on Tuesday evening and commenced the sale from Wednesday.”

Talking to DT Next the department’s public relations inspector S Selvakumar said, “rejected flags, which were set aside in Chennai office, were mistakenly sent to the Vellore HPO.”

However, the two-day delay led to questions from the public about the flag sale not starting on August 1. When sales started on Wednesday, CMC Hospital purchased nearly 400 flags, sources said.

It may be recalled that the government announced that flags would be sold for Rs 25 each to the public between August 1 and 13 to help people hoist them in their houses and commercial establishments from August 13 to 15 to mark the 75th year of Independence Day celebrations.