Pin code suddenly changed to 403517, falling under Siolim post office
Agarwada-Chopdem Sarpanch Hemant Chopdekar and others while submitting a representation at the Pernem Post Office.
THE GOAN NETWORK
PERNEM
Angry residents of Agarwada, Chopdem and Parsem in Pernem taluka met on Thursday to denounce the sudden and unexpected change in the postal code at the local post office.
Representations have been submitted to postal and other authorities to highlight their grievances and difficulties regarding the change in pin code.
According to locals, Agarwada, Chopdem, and Parsem villages have traditionally come under the Pernem Post Office and had been using the pin code 403512 for a number of decades.
They claimed that the pin code was suddenly changed to 403517, which falls under the Siolim post office.
Locals complained that this change in postal code would compel them to make changes in their addresses and in their documents like Aadhaar card, voter identity card, PAN card, various certificates, and other documents.
They claimed that this change would affect about 15,000 people in the three villages.
A meeting to discuss this issue was convened at the Agarwada-Chopde Panchayat Hall on Thursday to decide their future course of action.
Those attending the meeting included Parsem Sarpanch Ajay Kalangutkar, Agarwada-Chopdem Sarpanch Hemant Chopdekar, Deputy Sarpanch Shilpa Raut, panchas, and Agarwada-Chopdem Citizens Committee President Vivek Gaonkar.
During the meeting, it was decided to follow up with various authorities and to launch a movement to get authorities to revert to the previous postal code 403512.
Representations were submitted to the Post Master General at Panaji, Agarwada Post Office, Pernem Post Office, Pernem Deputy Collector's office and Pernem Mameldar.
It was also decided to contact Union Minister and North Goa MP Shripad Naik and local Mandrem MLA Jit Arolkar in this connection.
The locals then got in touch with union minister Shripad Naik by phone as he is currently in Delhi and highlighted their grievances.
Speaking at the meeting, Agarwada-Chopdem Sarpanch Hemant Chopdekar strongly criticised authorities for this sudden change in postal code from 403512 (Pernem) to 403517 (Siolim).
“Thousands of people in Agarwada, Chopdem and Parsem have been suddenly shifted and connected from Pernem taluka to Siolim in Bardez taluka and this will cause difficulties to them,” said Chopdekar.
Agarwada-Chopdem Citizens Committee President Vivek Gaonkar said the decision to change the pin code without taking people into confidence was unfair.
“We have decided to intensify our opposition to this change in pin code,” he said.
Parsem Sarpanch Ajay Kalangutkar, former Korgao ZP member Deepak Kalangutkar and former Parsem Sarpanch Devendra Prabhudesai also spoke and criticised this change in pin code.
