Parcels to US from Bengaluru’s General Post Office see over 50% drop amid tariff hike
Bengaluru: The 50% tariff imposed by the United States on India is having a significant impact on the volume of parcels being sent to the US from Bengaluru’s General Post Office (GPO) in Cubbon Park.
The number of parcels booked for shipment has dropped sharply, from 57 in July to just 27 in the first 24 days of August — a decline of more than 50%, as reported by Deccan Herald on Monday.
GPO officials attribute the drop primarily to the sharp increase in shipment costs due to the newly imposed tariff. Previously, packages valued under $800 could be sent to the US duty-free; however, the new regime now subjects any shipment over $100 to substantial duties.
According to postal staff, the situation is even worse than it appears. “The fall is sharper than what the numbers suggest as students returning for their fall semesters should have seen the numbers spike,” DH quoted them as saying.
India has suspended all postal services to US owing to the new duty regime. This means that families sending parcels to loved ones in the US will either need to pay the higher rates for private courier services or stop sending items altogether.
A large portion of the parcels sent from Bengaluru are packages for students and working professionals in the US. Geeta, mother of a student at Arizona State University, used to send to her daughter monthly packages of spices, blends and pickles. “My packages, depending on the weight, would cost around Rs 5,000, which was economical. In contrast, the same package sizes sent through private postal services were almost double the price, ranging from Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000,” DH quoted her as saying.
Anitha, the mother of a dental professional working in Boston, attempted to mail her son some important documents last week but was informed that the services had been suspended at her local post office.
The postal department is closely monitoring the situation and reportedly trying its hardest to restore services at the earliest.
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23-year-old woman found dead at Delhi home; suicide suspected
New Delhi (PTI): A 23-year-old woman was found dead in her house in Delhi's Prem Nagar area, with police suspecting it to be a case of suicide, an official said on Tuesday.
The deceased, identified as Anjali Singh, was found motionless in her room on Monday by her sister and her neighbour.
Police said her father, Vinod Kumar Singh (51), told them that he and his wife were away at work at the time of the incident, while their son and the other daughter were also not at home at the time of the incident.
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According to the family, the room in which Anjali was found was locked from the inside. The door was later forcibly opened by a neighbour and her sister with the help of a crowbar.
Her body was found lying on the bed inside the room, police said.
Preliminary inquiry revealed that Anjali had allegedly hanged herself using a piece of cloth tied to the ceiling fan.
It is suspected that the noose eventually might have loosened or torn off, resulting in her being found lying on the bed.
Family members informed the police that Anjali was a final-year student of a librarian science course from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). About a week ago, her final-year examination results were declared, and she had failed, following which she had been under depression, they said.
The family has not raised any allegation of foul play, police said, adding that no suicide note or external injury marks were found on the body during the initial inspection.
Inquest proceedings have been initiated in the matter as per the law. The body has been sent for post-mortem examination to ascertain the exact cause of death, and further investigation is underway, police added.
