Indian Railways Postal Traffic Chapter XVI PDF

1/27/25, 8:38 PM CHAPTER XVI CHAPTER XVI POSTAL TRAFFIC Conveyance of Mails 1601. Railways render the follow...

1/27/25, 8:38 PM CHAPTER XVI CHAPTER XVI POSTAL TRAFFIC Conveyance of Mails 1601. Railways render the following services to the Postal Department:— (a) Haulage of vehicles specially constructed (or converted) as Postal Vans at the cost of the Postal Department; (b) Haulage of ordinary coaching vehicles in which accommodation is reserved for the conveyance of mails; (c) Conveyance of Postal mail bags and parcels under "weighment system" in luggage vans or compartments incharge of the guards cither as a regular daily service according to a list supplied, to the Divisional Railway Manager for each half year or as occasional despatches not provided for in the list under the authority of a voucher for each despatch; and (d) Conveyance of Postal Mail bags by Mail Peons travelling on season tickets. NOTE.—Rules governing the incidence of cost of vehicles or parts of vehicles provided by the Railway for the Postal Department are contained in paras W 1447 to 1466 of the Indian Railway Code for the Mechanical Department (Workshops). Haulage of Postal Vans 1602. For the haulage of vehicles specially constructed or altered as Postal vans, the charges will be levied half yearly at rates to be notified by the Railway Board from time to time. A bogie will be treated as two 4-wheelers. 1603. The haulage charges of mail vans given in para 1602 include charges for the following :— (i) Provisions of Fire Extinguishers; (ii) Depreciation, maintenance and repairs of mail vans and special fittings provided therein for the exclusive use of the Postal Department including electrical equipment; and (iii) Electric energy consumed by fans, extra lights. 1604. If the kilometreage run of any special postal vans or compartments specially fitted for Post Office work on the requisition of the Post-Office officials and therefore not suitable for ordinary traffic, are in any half-year greater in one direction than the other, charges should be calculated, not on the actual distance ran but on double the highest run in one direction, provided there is considerable difference between the up and down kilometrages. For this purpose, a register should be maintained of the up and down kilometrages of all special postal vans or compartments. 1605. For partially fitted vehicles eg. 3/4, 1/2 and 1/4 postal vans, the rates shown in paragraphs 1602 apply proportionately in accordance with the nominal dimensions shown below and not in the proportion which the total space allotted to the Postal Department bears to the whole carriage :— 1606 https://indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/codesmanual/IRCTCD/TrafficCommericalDepartmentCh16_data.htm#1601. 1/7 1/27/25, 8:38 PM CHAPTER XVI https://indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/codesmanual/IRCTCD/TrafficCommericalDepartmentCh16_data.htm#1601. 2/7 1/27/25, 8:38 PM CHAPTER XVI Any accommodation over 917 centimetres in length will be charged for in the proportion shown above as applicable to the actual length in question. Adjustment of Charges for the Haulage of Vehicles 1607. Except in the case of temporary additional accommodation required for periods not exceeding two months, which will be requisitioned for as such and paid for quarterly as for occasional despatches as prescribed in para 1620, charges for the haulage of vehicles (Postal vans as also those in which accommodation is reserved for the conveyance of mails) will be adjusted for the six months on the basis of the actual space allotted on the 21st January and 21st July of each year or on such dates as may be mutually agreed upon. It is to be assumed that the actual service inclusive of distance, rendered on these dales is constant throughout the six months. Billing of charges for the haulage of postal vans and other coaching vehicles (i.e., non-postal vehicles) in which accommodation is reserved for conveyance of mails. 1608. (a) Returns of reserved accommodation supplied to the Postal Department on 21st January and 21st July each year (or on such other dates as may be mutually agreed upon between the Divisional Railway Manager and the Postal Department) must be submitted by the concerned stations to the Divisional Railway Manager within 3 days of the said dates in the proforma given below. The standard space allotted in postal vans or length of compartments provided in non-postal vehicles for the carriage of mails must invariably be shown in the returns to enable the Traffic Accounts Office to work out the charges correctly. https://indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/codesmanual/IRCTCD/TrafficCommericalDepartmentCh16_data.htm#1601. 3/7 1/27/25, 8:38 PM CHAPTER XVI (b) The information contained in the returns will be consolidated into a statement in the Divisional Office and submitted to the Traffic Accounts Office, half-yearly, latest by the middle of August and February in respect of selected dales 21st July and 21st January respectively mentioned above. When, however, any dates other than 21st January and 21st July are selected. dates for submission of the half yearly statement by the DRM to the Traffic Accounts Office may be suitably altered, care being taken to ensure recovery of the charges from the Postal Department within the same financial year. STATEMENT SHOWING RESERVED ACCOMMODATION SUPPLIED TO THE POSTAL DEPARTMENT FOR THE HALF YEAR ENDING............................................. S. No. Name of station Number of Particulars of vehicles Length Re trains portion of marks. From To Up Down No. on Description Proportion compartment vehicle of vehicle of space allotted to allotted to Postal the Postal Department Deptt. 1. 2.......... 3. 4. Procedure for daily conveyance of mails under the "Weighment System" 1609. The mail bags will be made over to the Station Master by the Postal Department with mail lists in duplicate. These lists will show the number of mail bags to be despatched and will be signed by the despatching agent of the Postal Department. The Station Master should compare the bags with the entries in the lists in the presence of the despatching agent, and if the bags are in good condition with seals intact, he should sign one of the mail lists and return it to the despatching agent and retain the other list for record at the station. 1610. The mail bags will be entered in a separate guidance (luggage and parcels summary) of the train by which they arc despatched and the Guard will sign for them in the station copy of the guidance. 1611. At destination the Station Mater should take over the bags from the Guard and sign for them in the guidance. These bags will then be entered in a separate parcels delivery book set apart for the purpose and the signature of the Postal Official who lakes delivery of the bags will be obtained in it. 1612. The charges for regular daily despatch of mail bags carried under the "Weighment System"-, as mentioned in Paras 1609 to 1611 above, will be levied at rates notified by the Railway Board from time to time. Mail Bags carried by Mail Peons 1613. Mail bags carried by mail peons travelling on season tickets will be treated as regular daily service and charged under the half-yearly weighment system. Such bags should, therefore, be weighed on the days specified in para 1607 and their weight along with that of other mails should be recorded in the mail lists in the manner indicated in para 1615. The following endorsement should also be made on the season tickets issued to such mail peons :— "Mail bags with the holder which arc included under the Weighment System will be carried without any extra charge." Adjustment of Charges for the Daily Conveyance of Mails 1614. The adjustment of charges for the daily conveyance of mails will be made by the Traffic Accounts Office for six months in the same way as for the haulage of vehicles. 1615. In order to determine the weight for the purpose of half-yearly adjustments, the mail bags offered for conveyance on the dales mentioned in para 1607 will be weighed by a responsible official of the Postal Department in the presence of the Station Master. On these dales, the mail lists will be prepared in triplicate by carbon process The weight of the bags or parcels will be recorded on the mail lists under the signature of the Station Master and of the official of the Postal Department. The half-yearly charges will be calculated in the Traffic Accounts Office on the total weight thus recorded on the mail lists. The original and duplicate copies of the mail lists will then be made over to the Station Master who will retain one copy at his station for record, and send the other to the Divisional Railway Manager for transmission to the Traffic Accounts Office with the half-yearly https://indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/codesmanual/IRCTCD/TrafficCommericalDepartmentCh16_data.htm#1601. 4/7 1/27/25, 8:38 PM CHAPTER XVI statements referred to in para 1616. Note.—If 21st January or 21st July happens to fall on Saturday. Sunday or Monday, the Wednesday following these days will be the statistical day for preparation of returns. 1616. Each Divisional Railway Manager will furnish to the Accounts Office half-yearly statements of mail bags and parcels carried under the "Weighment System" in the following form to enable that office to prefer bills against the Postal Department. STATEMENT SHOWING MAIL BAGS AND PARCELS CARRIED UNDER THE WE1GUMENT SYSTEM FOR THE POSTAL DEPARTMENT FOR THE HALF YEAR ENDING............................. S. No. Name of station Nos. of trains No. of bags Weight* Remarks or parcels. From To Up Down Quintals Kilograms. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 *Fractions of 10 kg. will be taken as 10 kg. Rebate to the Postal Department on account of Interruptions 1617. A rebate on a pro-rata basis will be allowed to the Postal Department from the total amount payable by them to the Railway Department on the basis of the services rendered on the Statistical day. viz., 21st January and 21st July (or such other days in each half-year as may be mutually agreed upon), when Postal Mails cannot be conveyed by railways due to interruptions caused by breaches or accidents or any other cause, subject to the following conditions :— (a) no rebate will be allowable except in cases where through communication is broken and the mails cannot be carried through, for period of more than fourteen consecutive days; (b) in cases where lines are breached and reopened for traffic in sections, rebate will be allowable only for those sections which arc interrupted for more than fourteen consecutive days: (c) for the purpose of calculating the rebate the amount shall be based on the distance between the points on either side of the interruption upto which the railway is earning passengers and other coaching traffic, except in cases where the Postal Authorities and the Railway Administration concerned agree that it would be preferable to earn- the mails only upto some point a greater distance from the interruption m which case the distance shall be calculated from that point; (d) if the period for which a rebate is to be allowed falls over two half-years (e.g.. from 20th September to 5th October), the calculations as to the weight of bags or space reserved for Postal Department will be made on the basis of the last previous Statistical day. or on such other days as may be mutually agreed upon (e) when mails are not carried on the Statistical day on account of breaches. & c. the service to be paid for during the succeeding half-year shall be based on the actual space allotted or weight carried on the day the service is resumed, or on such other days as may be mutually agreed upon: (f) the Postal Department will not ask railway to bear any portion of the cost incurred in transporting mails by other means when the usual railway service cannot be utilised, and (g) when mails have to be diverted to an alternative longer route due to breaches &c, the Postal Department shall pay according to the actual longer distance over which the mails are carried, when such diversion extends over a period in excess of fourteen consecutive days. (h) Details of postal traffic affected by breaches will be communicated by the Station staff to the Divisional Office for onward transmission to the Traffic Accounts Office. Conveyance of Mail Bags as Occasional Despatches https://indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/codesmanual/IRCTCD/TrafficCommericalDepartmentCh16_data.htm#1601. 5/7 1/27/25, 8:38 PM CHAPTER XVI 1618. Occasional despatches of mail bags, not covered by the daily service will be accepted when tendered with mail lists in duplicate and booked in the same way as ordinary parcels. The maximum weight for despatch is restricted to two quintals in such cases. However, the usual Railway Receipt will not be issued and the only Receipt the Postal Department will be given would be the acknowledgement on one copy of the mail list. The other copy of the mail list will be treated as a Credit Note and submitted to the Cash Office with the day's earnings. On arrival at destination, these mail bags will be entered in the inward parcel delivery book in the same way as parcels and signed for by the Postal officials taking delivery. There should be no delay in the delivery of these mail bags at destination. Rates for Occasional Despatches of Mail Bags 1619. The charges for occasional despatches of mail bags carried under the "Weighment System" shall be levied at rates notified by the Railway Board from time to time. Adjustment of Charges for Occasional Despatches 1620. The adjustment of charges for occasional despatches of mail bags will be made quarterly by the Accounts Office on bills supported by vouchers before the tenth of the month following that to which the quarter relates. Charges for Mail Bags of High Officials of Government 1621. Mail bags of High Officials of Government carried in charge of Railway Mail Service Inspectors should be weighed and charged for at the ordinary luggage rates, after allowing the free allowance permissible to the class of ticket or pass held by the official. 1622. The liability of the Railways in regard to loss of/damage to mail bag etc. is the same as in the case of ordinary parcels, as indicated in the Railways Act. 1989 (No. 24 of 1989). Seals on Mail Bags 1623. The railway official taking over mail bags from the Postal Department should see that the bags are properly scaled. Similarly, the postal Official taking delivery of mail bags from the railway at destination will examine the seals. A certificate to the effect that the seals were intact should be obtained from the latter in the Parcels Inwards Delivery Book. Carriage in Mail Vans of Articles on Postal Service 1624. The carnage in mail vans of articles on postal service (e.g., forms, stationery-small parcels of stores) labelled as such and properly franked but not registered as parcels in a post office will be permitted without any additional charge. Unusual Changes in the Despatch of Mail Bags 1625. When a mail bag is presented for the first time to be com eyed daily under the weighment system between stations on the line, for which instructions have not been previously issued, the Station Master must accept and despatch it on a written requisition from the postal authorities, duly stamped with the Post Office stamp and signed by the postal official tendering it for despatch. The Station Master must take its weight on the first day and forward the ordinal requisition with the weight noted therein, with a letter giving full particulars to the Divisional Railway Manager endorsing a copy of the letter to the Traffic Accounts Office. Similarly, when the despatch of mails is to be discontinued for which no previous notice has been given by the Divisional Railway Manager, the Station Master must obtain a written notice from the postal official, take the weight of the bag conveyed on the last day. note it on the notice and forward the letter m original, with a letter giving full particulars to the Divisional Railway Manager, endorsing a copy of his teller to the Traffic Accounts Office. The Divisional Railway Manager will summarize the monthly statements received from the stations and send particulars to the Traffic Accounts Office. Extra Reserved Accommodation for Postal Department 1626. (a) When accommodation in excess of the daily regular service is required by the Postal Department, the postal official concerned will present a requisition, in the prescribed form written out in triplicate. The three copies of the requisition will be dealt with as under;— (i) one copy of the requisition will be made over to the Station Master who will arrange for the additional accommodation required: this copy shall be submitted by the Station Master to the Divisional Office after recording thereon the— (1) number and description of carriage, and (2) extent of accommodation supplied, i.e., in case a compartment is required, length of the compartment; https://indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/codesmanual/IRCTCD/TrafficCommericalDepartmentCh16_data.htm#1601. 6/7 1/27/25, 8:38 PM CHAPTER XVI (ii) one copy bearing the Station Master's acknowledgement will be made over by the postal official to the Senior Mail Sorter for production en route as an authority for the extra accommodation occupied: at the destination station the Senior Mail Sorter will make over this copy to the Station Master who will enter on it the particulars as in (i) above and submit it to the Divisional Railway Manager; (iii) one copy will be retained by the postal official for submission to the office of the Superintendent. Railway Mail Service. (b) At the close of each month, the Divisional Railway Manager will submit to the Traffic Accounts Office all the requisitions received by him— (i) from stations supplying the extra accommodation; (ii) from stations upto which the extra accommodation was utilized. The requisitions at (i) and (ii) above will be forwarded duly entered in separate statements in the proforma given below. The requisitions involving through traffic will be entered in separate statements for each category. https://indianrailways.gov.in/railwayboard/uploads/codesmanual/IRCTCD/TrafficCommericalDepartmentCh16_data.htm#1601. 7/7