Lucknow, August 8, 2025 – With Raksha Bandhan just a day away, post offices across India are grappling with a major crisis as servers have been down for days, leaving thousands of people unable to send rakhis, parcels, and important documents. The disruption, caused by a troubled rollout of the new IT 2.0 software, has led to long queues, frustrated customers, and fears of significant financial losses for the postal department.
In cities like Lucknow, Faridabad, and Kanpur, post offices are seeing a flood of people trying to send rakhis to their siblings. However, many are returning empty-handed after hours of waiting. “I’ve been coming to the post office for three days to send a rakhi to my brother in Rajasthan, but the staff keep saying the system is down,” said Shalini, a resident of Lucknow. The server issues have halted essential services like speed post, registered mail, and postal banking, leaving customers like Shalini with no choice but to turn to costly private couriers.
The problem began when the postal department introduced the new IT 2.0 software in late July to modernize operations. However, the system has been plagued by technical glitches and server failures since its launch. In Uttar Pradesh alone, nearly 18,000 post offices have been affected, with over four thousand rakhis stuck at Lucknow’s main post office. Nationwide, the disruption has led to millions of undelivered parcels, with estimates suggesting revenue losses in thousands of crores for the department. A postal worker in Bhopal admitted, “We got minimal training for the new system, and now we’re struggling to keep up.”
The timing couldn’t be worse, as Raksha Bandhan is one of the busiest periods for postal services. In rural areas also people are facing similar woes, with no clear timeline for when services will resume. “I came to deposit my insurance premium, but they told me to come back later,” said a farmer in Haspura. Private courier companies are cashing in on the chaos, charging high rates to deliver rakhis and parcels on time.
Postal officials are scrambling to fix the issue. “We’re working with our IT team to resolve the server problems quickly,” said a senior official in Ranchi. They hope services will normalize soon, but for now, the delays are casting a shadow over the festival spirit. Customers are urged to check with local post offices before visiting.
