Srinagar, Apr 18: Broken staircases lead to this post office in a shanty houseboat anchored on the banks of famed Dal lake. Looking at the waters below one would suggest that only swimmers should take a chance of climbing down the staircases because visit to the Nehru Park Post Office obviously comes with a risk of drowning.
 After a careful walk, one has to use all his muscle power to open the entrance door, which after some hits-and-trials finally slides to the left.
 Inside, one can see a huge pile of letters draped in colorful envelopes as they lie on a table there.
 Shockingly the weather conditions are quite visible inside. The ongoing rains make their appearance in the room as the water trickles down from the cracked traditional Khatambandh ceiling.
 Post Master Suman Raina and his colleague Muhammad Shaban Bhat are busy making efforts to save letters from the rain waters. But the droplets decline to stop felling down.
 After persistently watching the droplets, Suman tries something new to get rid of the water. He keeps an empty tumbler at a particular spot on the table. And the trick somehow works for a few minutes till the ceiling leakage emerges from few more points with the surge in the rainfall.
 “Water is a part of this post office,” the duo speak to each other before this scribe who pretended to be a visitor.
 Their one-liner on water carries more of weight. Not only because the Post Office is in the lake but that its base has also cracked and the Dal waters often seep into the houseboat.
 “It needs regular dewatering or else the boat will sink,” they replied to a query.
 Sharing an anecdote, they said during the turmoil last year the houseboat had a major threat of sinking.
 “Come what may we had to reach the office and get it dewatered,” said one of them.
 This is the plight of the Post Office in the famed Dal lake, a key attraction for tourists in the summer Capital.
 But this wasn’t its condition till a few decades back. Officials recollect that it used to be an inspection quarter. Apart from that officials of the postal department used to stay there during tours. Later in ‘60s it was converted into Post Office.
 Tourism players are all fire over the dilapidated condition of the Post Office, which also provides cash saving services to the locals.
 “Some days back a foreigner slipped while climbing down the staircases and hurt his leg,” said a Shikarawala.
 Prominent tourism player and president Houseboat Owners Association, Manzoor Ahmed Wangnoo minced non words to agree with his colleagues that the condition of the Post Office was bringing disrepute for the tourism sector.
 “This post office is of immense tourism value but its condition is making it act the opposite,” Wangnoo said adding the facility should be facelifted at an earliest.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 18 Apr 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 18 Apr 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 19 Apr 2011 00:00:00 IST