VARANASI: It takes a flash flood just a few minutes to inundate the catchment areas of rivers flowing through the hill regions of Mirzapur, Sonebhadra and Chandauli districts. A report to sound alert on possibility of a flash flood, however, takes a day or two to reach the divisional or state headquarters of the irrigation department. That's because even in 'Digital India', the department relies on 'Harkara', a runner who personally delivers official letters, for official correspondence.In fact, the staff deputed on dams rings metal bells to indicate overflowing, instead of sirens which could cover a much larger area.The irrigation department's Sone division chief engineer Suresh Chandra Sharma said the department has no portal of its own for online official communications yet.The department offices had been equipped with computers between 2005 and 2008. But the computers were used for data feeding and composing of reports and orders only. They were neither interconnected nor used for any correspondence."We do communicate with our counterparts or seniors through personal email IDs," Sharma said, adding, "but for official correspondence, which also contains reports on current status of dams and canals, the department depends on Harkara ."The Harkaras are chosen from available fourth grade staff on rotation basis. A Harkara leaves divisional headquarters for state headquarters at Lucknow with all official documents in the night to deliver them the next day. He collects the packets of documents addressed to divisional office from state headquarters and returns the next morning.Each trip costs a minimum of Rs 400, which is paid as travel allowance, said Sharma. The same process is followed for correspondence between district and divisional headquarters of irrigation department office.

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