Damauli, August 2 Post offices in Tanahun district are facing a hard time due to a prolonged shortage of workforce. Dozens of positions of postmen and runners in various post offices in the district have fallen vacant for a long time now. The manpower crunch has adversely affected everyday work. Uma Koirala Gautam, an officer at the post office said, “Thirty-six of the 42 positions of postmen and 24 of the 42 positions of runners have been lying vacant in the district for years. We are facing a hard time because only 11 of 18 second class non-gazetted officers have been deployed to the local levels.” A total of 46 staffers are currently working in different post offices of the district. The total number of staff positions in the district is 113. There is a district post office, 14 area postal offices and 37 additional post offices in the district. “Despite the fact that e-mail, internet and social media platforms are gaining prominence these days, the relevance of postal services in rural districts cannot be overemphasised,” said Gautam.