City dwellers bid emotional farewell to century-old Tanur Town Post Office in Malappuram

Tanur: The century-old Tanur Nagaram (town) Branch Post Office, established during the British era, was shut down on Friday amid protests.

A closure notice was put up five days ago. For decades, the office had served as the sole communication hub for thousands of people in the Tanur Angadi region. The lack of a sufficient number of savings bank account holders was cited as the primary reason for the closure.

Following the notice, local residents had stepped up efforts to keep the office functioning, with many opening accounts and initiating transactions. However, the office near the town bridge was vacated on Friday afternoon, with most of the files having been shifted earlier.

From now on, residents will have to depend on the sub-post office at Nalumkoodiya Junction for postal services. People from the Ottumpuram and Thoovaltheeram areas will now have to travel as far as seven kilometres to access these services.

The post office had functioned for many years at Vazhakkatheruvu street. Postmaster C P Kaderkutty, a resident of Tanur Angadi, had earned a reputation for himself for his long and dedicated service at the office here.

The sight of public activists M A Abdul Sathar and U P Mohammed purchasing stamps as the final customers of the post office on Friday turned into a poignant moment.

Local residents had earlier submitted a complaint to the Tirur Postal Superintendent against closing down the office. MP Abdussamad Samadani had also sent an email to Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia seeking intervention.

Even as assurances were given that the issue would be considered sympathetically, the office has now been shut down permanently. With its doors closed for once and for all, the only Central government office at Tanur Angadi now survives only in memory, leaving behind a trail of nostalgia among local residents.