Where the good old daakiya can’t go, a drone can. In a transformative move, India Post has launched an ambitious pilot project to test the feasibility of last-mile delivery of mail to India’s remote corners where postmen can’t reach.The first drone run was held this week in Assam as part of a planned network aimed at making postal connectivity faster in places where conventional road transport can be slow or difficult.The initiative is being developed in partnership with Skye Air Mobility, drone delivery and tech firm founded in 2019 and based in Gurugram. It specialises in autonomous last-mile and hyperlocal deliveries and postal services using aerial drones and AI traffic management.India Post officials told The Tribune that the department plans to operate 40 drone routes in Assam, with the wider network expected to cover around 150 routes across Assam and Himachal Pradesh.”The idea is simple, instead of depending entirely on roads to move postal bags through difficult terrain, drones can carry them directly along designated routes. For communities located far from major roads, this could cut travel time and make the movement of postal bags more predictable,” officials say.The first drone run in Assam therefore marks more than a change in how postal bags are transported. It is an attempt to use technology to address one of the basic difficulties of maintaining connectivity in remote regions, where distance, roads, terrain and weather can all affect conventional delivery.”Our focus is not only on speed as the drone network is also intended to make the movement of postal bags more reliable and easier to track. This could be particularly useful in areas where a difficult road journey can add to the time taken to move mail between different points of the postal network,” officials added.The shift will however also pose challenges, particularly of cost.The fact that India Post is working with a private company to operate the service means the cost of each drone flight and the expense involved in moving each postal bag will be important factors in assessing the network.A faster delivery system does not automatically mean a cheaper one.An official speaking on condition of anonymity said, “Expenses involved could include drone maintenance, manpower, batteries, insurance, technology and disruptions caused by weather. The economics of the network will therefore depend not simply on how quickly a drone can move a postal bag, but on how much it costs to keep the entire system operational.”Real-time tracking, route monitoring and the recovery of postal bags would consequently also become important parts of the system. The scale of the proposed rollout makes these questions significant.India Post is looking at around 150 drone routes across Assam and Himachal Pradesh, with 40 routes planned in Assam alone. The network will consequently have to work across different terrains and weather conditions rather than in a controlled environment.For India Post, the first drone run in Assam is the beginning of that test. The potential benefit is that drones could reduce travel time, improve access to communities located away from major roads and reduce dependence on conventional transport on some difficult routes. For people living in remote areas, quicker movement of postal bags could mean a more responsive connection with the wider postal network.