Bengaluru postal dept to make parcel delivery smarter

The Department of Posts is readying to introduce a Smart Delivery System involving tech-based locker units, which users can access through an app.

“The user is alerted when a parcel is deposited in the locker. They can open it any time using our Smart Del app and get their parcel,” Rajendra Kumar, regional post master general of Bengaluru, told DH.

To be piloted in the Diamond District residential complex on Old Airport Road from February 10, according to a department update, the smart locker will be offered in other residential and commercial buildings depending on the response to the pilot project, Kumar noted.

The smart box or the delivery unit installed at Diamond District will contain 14 lockers. “We have partnered with ITI Palakkad to make the smart boxes.” The department said the system is operated on a small battery that would last for two years, as power is required only to dock the mobile phone and the locker. Though the smart delivery is only for parcels at first, it would include letters, if all goes well.

Kiosks for convenience

The department is also planning to set up self-service kiosks where users can deposit parcels and speed posts. “Users can choose between card and cardless mode in the automated system. We have the model ready, but are waiting for the payment gateway approval. It’s a collaboration between C-DAC, India Post and Bangalore ITI,” Kumar said. The kiosks will be set up at metros, malls and railway stations to pick up or deposit parcels on the go, said Radhakrishna, chief postmaster, GPO.